State tourism minister Gautam Deb, believed to be the tallest leader of Trinamul in north Bengal, has remarked that he is “running the last lap to finish the circle of his political career.”
Such a remark from the minister, during a door-to-door campaign in his Assembly constituency Dabgram-Fulbari, led to ripples in the political arena of Siliguri ahead of the crucial Bengal polls.
“These days, I am running the last lap to complete the circle of my political career spanning over a period of 45 years. I want to work for efficiently for people in the coming days,” the minister told journalist in Tinbatti More area under ward 32 of the city.
Deb, now in his sixties, was in politics since his college days. He was in the Congress and joined Trinamul in 1998 when Mamata Banerjee floated her party.
His journey as an elected representative started as a councillor in Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC). In 2011, when Trinamul swept the polls, he was elected as an MLA for the first time and became a state minister.
In 2016, he could retain his Dabgram-Fulbari seat that comprises 14 wards of the SMC and four adjoining panchayats under Rajganj block of Jalpaiguri district.
Since 2011, his back-to-back wins bolstered the confidence of Trinamul workers and local party leaders. But in 2019, Trinamul suffered a setback in Lok Sabha elections when the saffron camp secured a lead of around 86,000 votes in that Assembly segment.
The huge margin in Dabgram-Fulbari is believed to one of the prime reasons behind the BJP winning the Jalpaiguri parliamentary seat. Since then, Deb and his party had put in a lot of effort to revive the support base.
Ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections, Deb, who otherwise resides in Collegepara of Siliguri, has taken rented a house in a locality under his constituency and is staying there for the past few weeks. He is moving out every day to meet his electorate, playing the development card by inaugurating new projects or laying foundation stones. He has seldom left his constituency during this period.
“From May this year, people will see a new Gautam Deb who will stay among them and work for them round the clock. I want to devote my time for people’s development,” Deb said.
BJP leaders contacted by this paper abstained from commenting on Deb’s strategy.
Political analysts, however, said that the minister seemed to be playing the sympathy card.
“The upcoming elections are probably the toughest elections that he has faced in his political career, considering the large margin that BJP has managed to gain over Trinamul in his Assembly segment in the Lok Sabha polls. That is why he is trying to earn compassion from people. It is also a different strategy from the BJP that has been following traditional campaign techniques so far,” said an observer.
