Mamata uses Kalam to connect to India's voters

New Delhi: With her decision to back APJ Abdul Kalam for the post of President of India, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has proved once again that virtually no politician in India understands people's minds as well as she can. The West Bengal chief minister may have suffered a short-term setback within her political network by losing the support of the Samajwadi Party and finding herself isolated in the UPA. But make no mistake, her backing for Kalam is already making waves amongst people at large outside political circles.

Banerjee has shrewdly sensed the prevailing mood of a vociferous section of Indians in terms of its disgust with the existing political set-up. She has also correctly intuited the iconisation of Kalam, India's former President, in cyberspace in particular. For several years now, Kalam has been something of a folk hero among a section of Indians well represented in social networks. By linking herself to his image, Banerjee may well succeed in appropriating the same values for herself.

Astutely, Banerjee has taken her campaign for Kalam – and, by extension, for a certain image of clean, achievement-oriented leadership – to the platform where it will resonate the most. Facebook is already brimming over with emotional memes and statements in support of Kalam, - complete with apocryphal tales of achievements, bon mots and other displays of erudition. The suffx 'sir' is frequently added to this name by wide-eyed young Indian professionals who consider him an amalgamof many virtues. With one stroke, Banerjee has won over this constituency.

That the Trinamool Congress under Banerjee's leadership now has national ambitions seems obvious. While alliances may be the short-term route to securing pan-Indian significance, real power can only flow from a direct connection with the electorate. In Bengal, Banerjee has already proved how to leverage popular sentiment for electoral gains – with her support for Kalam, she has taken a small, though not insignificant, step towards repeating her magic on a wider terrain.

Indeed, as she had promised with the statement, "The game is not yet over", recent developments suggest that Kalam may still be the NDA's choice for the Presidential polls. Whether he wins or not, Banerjee will ultimately have ended stronger in terms of her relationship with the people of India, if not with the present administration in New Delhi. She would probably be happy to trade in the latter for the former.