(Image source from: Will Mamata emerge king maker after LS polls?})

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee after consolidating the party's position in West Bengal is now all set to head towards New Delhi. The West Bengal chief minister seems to be aiming a substantial role in national politics with her attemp to join hands with social activist Anna Hazare.

The last 10 years has seen a considerable change in the political contour of West Bengal, due to the rising political dominance of TMC. The 2004 general elections had only one TMC representative from Bengal, that of Banerjee. While the Left Front had 35 and Congress 6 Mps out of the 42 seats in the state.

In 2009, the TMC-Congress alliance garnered 19 seats in West Bengal. And in the 2011 assembly elections the TMC unseated the Left from power after a long reign of 34 years. The TMC, that has risen to power gradually appears all set to capture at least 26 to 30 seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

TMC all-India general secretary Mukul Roy has stated that the party will wipe out Left Front in this general election. He said that TMC is ready to be a national player and will not ally with any political party. He also said that Mamata Banerjee will emerge kingmaker in Delhi after elections.

On January 30, at the Brigade Parade Ground rally Banerjee stated that TMC will maintain an equal distance from both the BJP and the Congress. However, five days after Mamata's rally BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi offered a offered a post-poll alliance to Didi at the same venue.

The Congress is trying to counter the TMC by appointing Adhir Chowdhury, a passionate critic of Banerjee, as the party head in the state. The Left Front on its part will take up issues like women's safety in the state and the possible Mamata-Modi alliance post LS elections. But the Bengal Tigress is on a roll and likely to be a crucial factor in goverment formation at the centre post polls.

(Picture Source: )

(AW: Pratima Tigga)