AGARTALA, Aug 3 (TIWN): Ahead of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s arrival in the state on August 9, a team of West Bengal police have arrived in the state on Wednesday to monitor the security checking’s in the state. Arrival of West Bengal police personnel in the state displays that Mamata cannot keep trust on the so called Police force of CM Manik Sarkar in the CPI-M dominated Tripura. Talking to TIWN correspondent, West SP Abhijit Saptratshi confirmed that a team of West Bengal has arrived in the state to do security checking’s of the venue where TMC Supremo will be addressing a mass rally. However, there is no much information if the West Bengal police official is willing to hold any meeting with the state police personnel as it is totally on their call, added West SP. Arrival of police official from West Bengal to do security checking ahead of Mamata Banerjee's arrival clearly shows that she don’t keep trust on the Manik’s police force and doubts the potentiality of the Tripura state police.

Emboldened by the crossover of six Congress MLAs, the Trinamool Congress is set to woo the tiny northeastern state of Tripura, which has a substantial Bengali population, ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections. 

West Bengal Chief Minister and party chief Mamata Banerjee will visit the state on August 9 and address a rally at Swami Vivekanda Stadium.

Banerjee, who has long held pan-India political ambitions, is looking to capitalize on the relative decline of Congress strongholds in the north-east. While the BJP is looking towards Manipur after successfully pulling of a victory in Assam, Banerjee hopes that with a win in Tripura she will also be able to expand her party’s base in the region.

But for Sarkar’s Left Front, the damage might already have been done as the Trinamool Congress is now in contention. As one CPM leader put it, “If there’s one thing that Banerjee knows how to do, it’s opposition politics.

She has always been a street fighter and the Left in Tripura has reason to be worried.”

Assembly election in 2018 are still a long way off. The Trinamool Congress’s strategy in the state is likely to be similar to the line they took in West Bengal – relentless opposition, continued dharnas and protests and looking to capitalize on the discontent of the people. For the Left in the state, the challenge will be to recover from the Left-Congress alliance in West Bengal.