Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is already feeling the heat from the BJP in Bengal. TMC had expelled two of its MPs from the party for alleged anti-party activities.

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In this case, it pertains to joining the BJP or having pronounced soft corner for the party ideology. Banerjee, having ruled Bengal with an iron hand with no tolerance for dissent, has realised that her brand of minority appeasement may no longer be that effective.

The dissent brewing in the rank and file of TMC has been evident for long. Once a heavyweight TMC MP, Mukul Roy, No. 2 in the party, had earlier joined BJP, thus inflicting a big blow to TMC’s organisational dynamics. The Lok Sabha MP from Bishnupur, Saumitra Khan, who joined the BJP recently, is known to be close to Roy.

Khan was already speaking out against the party’s policies in social media, which had angered Banerjee. The two expulsions, the other being of Bolpur MP Anupam Hazra, point to winds of change. There is no denying the fact that BJP’s strength is growing in the east and Northeast of India.

Though it had won just two of Bengal’s 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2014, while the TMC won 34, this time around there is a strong feeling on the ground that the party would improve its tally.

Several TMC MPs are under the scanner of CBI for their alleged involvement in Ponzi schemes. Political fights in Bengal invariably entail bloodshed, so in the coming days, the attacks on BJP leaders and supporters are bound to increase.

But Banerjee’s core supporters are disillusioned with her government because of lack of jobs and extreme religious polarisation. The growing negative perceptions will be hard to counter since she has had enough time to bring about change in the state.