With BJP snapping at her heels, the race to the top seemed to be fraught with challenges and obstacles for the Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee.

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By deciding to go solo, Mamata  has effectively shattered the INDIA bloc in the state and set the stage for a multi-cornered contest, pitting Trinamool Congress against the BJP, as well as a possible CPI(M)-Congress-Indian Secular Front alliance. However, with Congress and the Left parties getting decimated with each passing election the main electoral showdown would be between BJP and the TMC, a bi-polar contest.

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Mamata's move to go alone has thrown up a mixed reaction. While some of her functionaries claimed that this would benefit the TMC, others don't feel so good about it.

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A TMC Rajya Sabha MP indicated that the situation would have been "better" if the entire Opposition joined forces against the BJP in the state. He pointed out that even as Mamata remained the most popular and influential political figure in the state, the party's fluctuating vote share and seats "is a cause for concern."

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In 2014 Lok Sabha polls TMC had 40% of the vote share and bagged 34 Lok Sabha berths. In 2019 even as the vote share went up by 43%, the party got only 22 seats while BJP polling a little over 40% bagged 18 Lok Sabha seats. This was a massive jump from two seats during the Lok sabha polls in 2014.

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Again during the 2021 Assembly elections in the state BJP which had only 3 MLAs bagged 77 seats and banked 38.15% percent of the vote share.

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Over the past few months, the TMC leadership has been hit by a series of corruption cases and the party, particularly Mamata Banerjee's image has taken a considerable beating. The latest being the raging protest against a reign of terror and sexual abuse of women at Sandeshkhali unleashed by the TMC leaders.

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The Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) could also dent the TMC in parts of north Bengal, particularly among the Matua and Rajbanshi communities. These two scheduled caste communities have "welcomed" the notification of the CAA.

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North Bengal with eight Lok Sabha seats continues to be TMC's weakest link. Of the eight Lok Sabha seats BJP won seven during the last general elections. In such a political landscape, the situation could become tricky with the CPI(M)-Congress and ISF combo cutting into Mamata's vote bank, particularly the Muslim community. The Muslims who comprise over 30 percent of the state's population have always rallied around Mamata Banerjee.  There is an apprehension that the Opposition could cut into this formidable vote bank of the party.

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However, another section of TMC leaders asserted that this time, the BJP would not be able to maintain its tally of 18 Lok Sabha seats. The first argument was "Didi is the most popular leader in the state." For these TMC functionaries, "in Bengal she's bigger than Modi." It was further claimed that the multi-corner fight would benefit Mamata as BJP and the rest of the Opposition would cut into each other's vote. When asked to explain this arithmetic, a TMC functionary did not have any credible response except-"you will see."

With regard to Sandeshkhali the leaders argued that the protests were "confined to the region only." After the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi targeted the TMC over Sandeshkhali, Mamata Banerjee led a women's rally in Kolkata.

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Women from Sandeshkhali also participated in the rally. Refuting BJP's charges, Mamata said that "women were safe in Bengal."

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It was further argued that the Congress and CPI(M) were facing an existential crisis in Bengal. In 2019 the CPI(M) failed to open its account in the state while Congress won only two seats. However, it was clear that it was BJP not TMC which gained at the expense of Congress and CPI(M).

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Finally it was claimed that the last Lok Sabha and Assembly elections have shown that "Muslims voted en masse in favour of TMC.." It was claimed that the CAA has  only further consolidated TMC's Muslim vote bank.

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It remains to be seen if Mamata's solo foray is a dangerous gamble or a move that will cut BJP to size.