Will Didi’s boy make the cut in Diamond Harbour?

Some get a chance to sprinkle petals as his open-top vehicle zooms past their villages. Others just wait for a glimpse.

For he, Abhishek Banerjee, 26, is the chosen one — heir-apparent to his aunt and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Clad in a typical politician’s white, and wearing a smile across his chubby cheeks, Abhishek’s debut in electoral politics is as the party’s nominee from Diamond Harbour constituency in the elections.

Banerjee has realised that being the CM’s nephew is no passport to instant victory. He is the “outsider” who needs to connect with local issues and realise his aunt’s “Delhi dreams” while keeping warring party factions together.

The “outsider” tag is the first hiccup.

“Will we ever see him after the polls? Somen Mitra, whom we voted for in 2009, ditched us,” said a local in Mayapur village.

The other problem is how to project Abhishek, apart from, of course, him being the CM’s nephew.

He heads the party’s youth wing, but remains in her shadow and lacks her oratorical skills.

His critics — both inside the party and outside — are aware of this. Healthcare, better roads, availability of potable water and better connectivity of rural areas with semi-urban and urban ones are his poll plank.

But being always surrounded by local Trinamool bigwigs renders him unapproachable to the local people.

“I tried to talk about the non-availability of drinking water. But I was told by party workers not to trouble Abhishek da with petty issues.

He has to work in Delhi,” said another villager. The other problem is the party’s factional feud. In Diamond Harbour, Budge Budge, Satgachia and Mahestala in-fighting has seen leaders trying to outdo each other.

Each faction is here to catch the other on the wrong foot, often at the cost of the party. “Abhishek is the Prince, and everyone is eager to prove his importance, even by belittling others,” a local Trinamool leader justified.

But, he added, a late intervention by top leadership temporarily stemmed the issue. Abhishek’s win has to be ensured, as it means a de-facto victory for Mamata.

In 2011, Trinamool won all the seven Assembly seats that make up the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency.

“Abhishek has to win. It is a prestige issue. Diamond Harbour is as important a seat to the party now as Amethi is to Congress,” said a senior leader.

A loss would mean incurring the CM’s wrath. And nobody wants that, local leaders, MLAs, panchayat members and senior party leaders.

With the top leadership keeping track of developments, the party machinery is on an overdrive.

After some initial lethargy, campaigning has picked up.

The CPI(M) has fielded a local doctor, Abul Hasnat, to woo the approximately 30 per cent minority voters.

The BJP has a local leader, Abhijit Das, riding the “Modi wave”.

“Ensuring Abhishek’s victory with a good lead is the best a leader can do to get into Didi’s good books.

“However, we are apprehensive of margins coming down because of anti-incumbency and factional feuds,” a Trinamool leader said.