Burying the hatchet? Mamata Banerjee calls up CPM’s MA Baby over EC row

New Delhi: Setting aside nearly 30 years of fierce political rivalry, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee held a direct telephone conversation with CPM general secretary MA Baby to discuss mounting concerns over the functioning and credibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The landmark exchange marks the first direct communication between the top leadership of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the CPM since Banerjee broke away from the Congress in 1997 to form the TMC, ultimately ending 34 years of Left Front rule in West Bengal in 2011.

Opposition outreach over ECI controversy

The unprecedented outreach was triggered by a letter sent on September 23 by MA Baby to non-NDA political parties, both within and outside the INDIA bloc, including the DMK, AAP, BRS, BJD, TVK and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

The initiative follows reports that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar allegedly bypassed objections raised by fellow Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi regarding decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

In his letter, Baby urged Opposition outfits to meet with the “urgency that the situation warrants” to defend constitutional values and the right to vote.

Responding in writing before initiating the telephone call, Banerjee expressed complete agreement, noting that the “credibility of the ECI and our democracy is at stake”.

INDIA Bloc push and friction

During the call, Banerjee informed Baby that she had also reached out to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, pressing for an immediate convening of the INDIA bloc leadership.

While individual leaders, including CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, have urged Rahul Gandhi to take the lead, frustration is reportedly building among several Opposition partners over the Congress's perceived hesitation to mobilise a joint, unified movement.

As part of ongoing coordination efforts, MA Baby is scheduled to meet AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, while the Congress Working Committee (CWC) is set to meet on Tuesday to determine its strategy.