To go national, Mamata bets on Anna

Mamata Banerjee is expected to meet Hazare personally in Delhi on February 18 to discuss the campaign strategy

After roping in anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare as a campaigner, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) is planning to ride on his support to go national in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

"It is a big boost for us. Nationally, he is well known for his anti-corruption movement. While Mamata will primarily focus on Bengal, Anna will be doing that outside the state," senior TMC member of Parliament Saugata Roy told Business standard.

It is expected Banerjee will meet Hazare in Delhi on February 18 to discuss the party's campaign strategy.

TMC had planned to focus on the Northeast. Last year, the party opened its account in Manipur, grabbing four seats in the state Assembly elections. Subsequently, it also decided to field candidates in states such as Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Tripura. In fact, Banerjee is set to kick-start her election campaign in Tripura on February 25.

Now, with Anna Hazare agreeing to campaign for it, TMC has decided to focus on northern states, too. "Anna's campaign in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, etc, will be crucial for us," Roy said.

At a recent rally in Durgapur, Banerjee had said, "We will fight in a number of seats in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Now, my target is to make All India Trinamool Congress an all-India party."

Reaching out to Hazare ahead of the polls seems to be a calculated move by the TMC, as Banerjee had never been a supporter of the Anna Hazare-led movement for a Lok Pal Bill. Now, many party members feel in case a non-Congress and non-Bharatiya Janata Party front comes to power, Hazare's endorsement will give Banerjee an edge as a prime ministerial candidate.

After a recent meeting with TMC General Secretary Mukul Roy and member of Parliament KD Singh, Hazare had agreed to shift from his earlier stand of not canvassing for any political party. "She lives in a 10-by-12 room, wears hawai chappals...I want to say after 66 years of Independence, nobody has thought of changing the economic system except Mamataji," he had said, adding Banerjee had replied to his 17-point economic programme and this was being incorporated in the TMC's election manifesto.