The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has strategically woven a recent confrontation with central agencies into the fabric of its election campaign. On Saturday, the party launched a powerful campaign song for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, directly incorporating Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's dramatic protest against Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on the offices of political consultancy I-PAC.
From Raid to Rallying Cry: The Genesis of the Anthem
The launch of the 3-minute and 12-second campaign video, titled "Jotoi koro hamla, abar jitbe Bangla" (No matter how many attacks, Bengal will win again), comes within a mere 48 hours of a major political stand-off. The ED conducted searches at the Kolkata offices of I-PAC and the residence of its director, Pratik Jain, starting Thursday.
In a bold move, CM Mamata Banerjee rushed to the scene at Salt Lake, visiting both Jain's residence and the I-PAC office while the searches were underway. She further led a protest march from Jadavpur to Hazra More on Friday, framing the central agency's action as an unjust attack on Bengal. The TMC has now transformed this entire episode into a central theme of its electoral narrative.
Decoding the 'Abar Jitbe Bangla' Campaign Song
The campaign anthem, featuring Mamata Banerjee and the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, is a montage of the party's programmes, public meetings, and key protests. Shared on social media with the caption "ready to ignite every corner of Bengal!", the song is pitched as the heartbeat of the party's resistance.
In a post on X, the TMC described the song as capturing "the defiant pulse of Bengal beating strong" and "the thunderous roar of a people rising as one against every conspiracy and attack." The lyrics make pointed political references, asserting, "We will not be afraid of the SIR or NRC, there is still time for you to recognise Mother Bengal’s strength." The song concludes with a confident declaration of marching on a new path where darkness will lose against a new dawn.
Morale Booster and Electoral Strategy
Senior TMC leaders explicitly state that the song is designed to energize the party's rank and file. They draw a parallel to the immensely popular "Khela Hobe" slogan that galvanized support during the 2021 Assembly elections. A party insider revealed that Mamata Banerjee's defiant stance during the ED raid significantly boosted internal morale, and this anthem aims to amplify that sentiment across Bengal.
The party is betting on regional pride and a narrative of being under siege from central forces to consolidate its voter base. With Abhishek Banerjee simultaneously holding public meetings in Nadia and visiting Matua Thakurbari in Thakurnagar, the campaign is in full swing. The TMC's clear assertion through this launch is its confidence in securing a fourth consecutive term in the state, framing the election as a battle for Bengal's self-respect.
As the political temperature rises, the ED has indicated plans to approach the Supreme Court over the alleged obstruction during its Kolkata searches, while the Bengal government has filed a caveat. This ensures that the legal and political clash surrounding the I-PAC raids will remain a heated backdrop to the electoral contest, with the TMC's new anthem serving as its defiant soundtrack.
