Naveen and Mamata on same page, lean on woman power to take on BJP

Both are replacing their incumbent MPs, fielding more women and a mix of veterans and unsung social and political workers from marginalised sections of the society

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Odisha's Naveen Patnaik had allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the initial years of their having broken away from national parties to launch regional political parties. Both now find that their one-time junior ally in the state, the BJP, has become an albatross around their necks.

Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have employed interestingly similar strategies to take on the BJP's challenge -- replacing their incumbent MPs, fielding more women and a mix of veterans and unsung social and political workers from marginalized sections of the society.