To counter the resurgent BJP in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee‘s party Trinamool Congress has come up with a new slogan with a twist – this time the ‘Didi’ (older sister) has become the ‘beti’ (daughter). With focus on women voters and Bengali sub-nationalism, the Bangla catchline – “Nijer Meyekei Chaye” that translates to “Bengal wants its own daughter”, portrays the chief minister as the mascot of women.

Party sources, according to news agency PTI,  said that the slogan aims to serve a double push back to the BJP. First, the outreach to the women voters, who comprise nearly 49% of an estimated 7 crore electorate. And, the slogan is also expected to further sharpen the party’s focus on the Bengali sub-nationalism and its repeated instances on “insider versus outsider” debate.

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The BJP, seemingly confident, however, dismissed the slogan as a strategy and said that the ruling party needed a new slogan as old ones have failed.

Trinamool Congress leader Partha Chatterjee, emphasising the “outsider” point said that “the people of the state want their own daughter… We don’t want outsiders to call the shots in Bengal.” 

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As the BJP continued with its massive rallies and sharp attacks on the ruling TMC, Mamata Banerjee’s photo along with the slogan were put up on hoardings across Kolkata on Saturday.

The ruling Trinamool is engaged in a bitter political fight with the BJP and calls the saffron party’s leaders as “outsiders” on “election tourism” to the state. Party insiders believe the Bihari vs Bahari campaign – a Prashant Kishor idea was adopted by Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who makes it a point to highlight this in his rallies. 

The TMC’s slogans have been key to its strategy. “Bodla Noy Bodol Chai” (Don’t want revenge but change), ahead of the 2011 polls had turned out to be crucial in reaching out to the masses who toppled the Left Front government after 34 years in West Bengal.

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The catchline “Chup Chap Fuley Chap” (vote for TMC in silence) is also considered iconic during the Left rule. The party, however, completely captured the nerve of the state with “Ma, Mati, Manush” (mother, land and people) — the slogan Mamata Banerjee gave during the anti-land acquisition agitation of the mid-2000s became the party’s ideology, helping it win rural Bengal along with the urban areas, election after election since 2011.

Election to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly is likely to be held in April-May.