Well, the assumption may sound a bit improbable but it cannot be brushed under the carpet either.
Needless to say, you aren’t oblivious to whom the moniker Disco Dancer is associated with.
Superstar Mithun Chakraborty’s vitriolic attack on the ruling Mamata Banerjee dispensation at a rally in Durgapur helmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday could be an indication of things to come.
Launching a scathing onslaught, the actor’s comments exhorted the BJP rank and file to leave no stone unturned to show Mamata the exit door after the polls due next year.
It also looks like Now or Never for the BJP.
“I will hit the battlefield on July 23-24. This is our last war which we will fight together,” he roared.
And daring the Mamata administration, he added, “Shoot at me but not like a coward from behind. I am ready to take the bullets upfront.”
If the rally was all about Modi, who also in his signature style, lambasted the TMC government over law and order, corruption and other contentious issues, Mithun minced no words too.
The media was quick to lap it up, giving almost equal coverage to Modi and Mithun. Well, the likes of state president Samik Bhattacharya, union minister Sukanta Mazumdar and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, with due respect, were relegated to the background.
It is no wonder that rumour mills are abuzz on Mithun’s imminent elevation. Time and again, the saffron party has failed to put up a face to take on the charisma of Didi. They invited former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly in the past, but the latter didn’t fall in line.
Mithun was earlier with Mamata, who even sent him to the Rajya Sabha. However, the two were at loggerheads over the Saradha scam that still remains a stain on Didi’s track record. A peeved Mithun walked out on Didi, alleging foul play after he was embroiled in the controversy.
With ex-state chief Dilip Ghosh ‘sidelined’, if you thought of putting your money on Adhikari, an erstwhile Didi loyalist who later jumped ship to the BJP, then you might be caught on the wrong foot.
As per sources, propping up Adhikari may not be a prudent decision, keeping in mind his limited fan base and outreach.
Being a tainted (Narada scandal) leader, he may fall out of favour in spite of relentlessly fighting for the Hindutva cause – the quintessential BJP poll plank.
True, he pulled up a surprise in Nandigram by defeating Mamata in 2021 albeit by a slender margin, yet Modi and team may not be too keen on backing him to the coveted chair.
Another line of thought dwells upon the BJP’s proclivity towards springing up surprises like in states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and even Odisha.
BJP fought and won the 2023 polls without falling back upon the tried and tested Vasundhara Raje (Rajasthan), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (MP) and Raman Singh (Chhattisgarh) – all former CMs who had, however, lost the 2019 elections, though Chouhan engineered a defection in the Congress government to return to the hot seat.
In Odisha, a low-profile Mohan Charan Majhi was entrusted with the responsibility to run the state after the BJP, running piggyback on Modi’s shoulders, ensured that Naveen Patnaik’s BJD bit the dust after being at the helm for more than 20 years.
In Haryana, just before the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, the incumbent Manohar Lal Khattar – a stalwart, was replaced with a much junior Nayab Singh Saini as the Chief Minister who eventually led the party to triumph in the Assembly elections the same year.
In all these states, it was the Modi invincibility that took the party home before he used his clout to pick lesser-known names to call the shots in the administration.
Will the party tread the same path in West Bengal? It could seem unlikely since despite the Prime Minister’s persistent efforts, the BJP failed to oust Mamata in 2021 bagging 77 seats.
The deteriorating numbers in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as compared to that in 2019 are also a wake-up call that sole dependence on the Modi magic wouldn’t yield rich dividends.
Unlike in states up North and in the cow belt, Bengal swears by personality-driven politics at the local level. Mind you, it was Mamata’s popularity and perseverance that broke the Left citadel of 34 years.
The Left Front government was usurped single-handedly by Mamata. Similarly, if one is to challenge her aura, a local saleable face is the need of the hour.
Surprisingly, there is a serious dearth of saffron leaders in West Bengal who can beat Mamata in her own game.
And that is perhaps the reason why the Modis and Amit Shahs have been on a hunt to look for a credible face outside the political circuit like politcs and films – somebody whose mass appeal can help them make inroads into voters’ hearts.
The multiple-time National Award-winning thespian Mithun Chakraborty has admirers not just in his home state but beyond its borders as well. A matinee idol whose superstardom even put Amitabh Bachchan’s dominance on a sticky wicket, could be roped in to take on the Chief Minister.
And Mithun is no novice in politics unlike Ganguly. The North Kolkata guy was actively involved in the Naxal movement in the ’70s before he left his home to evade arrest.
Mithun’s popularity cutting across religious lines may swing a percentage of Muslims too – a community that has stayed loyal to Mamata.
As a matter of fact, since taking over as chief of the state unit, Bhattacharya has been making fervent appeals to Muslims to shun Mamata and trust the BJP. In this context, Mithun can play a pivotal role in reaching out to Muslims.
Yes, Mithun’s age (he’s 75 and even elder to Modi) may be a deterrent and with the RSS calling for political sanyas after 75, a question mark looms large.
BJP sources say that Mithun would play a very proactive role in the party’s election campaign. Yet, they are tightlipped when quizzed whether the superstar would lead the BJP in the elections next year.
Former state president Rahul Sinha refuses to read too much between the lines. “No, it’s a figment of your imagination. Nothing has been decided yet,” he told us, adding that even in the past Mithun had taken acerbic swipes at the TMC.
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However, Sinha sounds optimistic of toppling the TMC. “We will walk that extra mile to throw this corrupt government out and we will have the last laugh, ” he said.
Well, whether the last-ditch effort will be helmed by Mithun or not is the million-dollar question.
But rest assured, he will be hogging the limelight for sure.
Fingers crossed!
