They (Trinamul) had promised to end the misrule and stand by the poor,” Pratima, who has voted for Trinamul since the party’s birth, said, explaining how hopeful she was when it won both the zilla parishad and the Byabatarhat Pashchim gram panchayat, under whose area she lives. But her experience in the past five years has fallen far short of her expectations. Since their house collapsed, she and her family members have made several rounds of the gram panchayat office, seeking assistance under the housing scheme. “Nothing moves. They told us that we cannot get the benefit as we do not have a BPL card,” Pratima said.

In Trinamul citadels, apathy drowns hope