Both leaders have some things in common. Both are regional satraps. Both are single women. Both are fighters and solo players. Both have their parties in their iron grips. Both expect complete obedience from their party cadres. If Jayalalithaa had been a chief minister twice before, Mamata had been a minister twice earlier. Both are egoists in their own way and also mercurial. While Jaya may have learnt her lessons in her two earlier terms, Mamata is yet to begin her rule of West Bengal. Her administrative skills of the state are untested so far.

The real challenge for both will be how they deal with the respective challenges in next five years. Take the case of Mamata. She has relentlessly fought the left, particularly the CPI-M these past two decades and more and her victory has been hailed as historic for throwing out the comrades unceremoniously after 34 years of rule. She knows that the time for rhetoric’s are over and it is time to deliver amidst the high expectations of the people who reposed tremendous trust in her.

The three main challenges are to restore the economy of the state, tackle law and order and deal with Maoists. She has also promised to solve the Darjeeling issue within three months. On the political side, she must ensure to keep the left down for some time to establish her supremacy. How will she deal with the CPI-M cadres entrenched in the government is yet another challenge.

Mamata has taken the first step carefully by asking the Congress party, her parent party and an ally to join her government despite her party’s majority on its own. This is seen as a good move as it will help her government in getting many things done at the central level. For instance a liberal economic package for the state may come easier if the centre and the state are on the same side. The state government also needs the support of the centre on many other things. Secondly, she wants to be on the right side of the Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee by offering minister’s post to his son although it is for the Congress to decide who should be given a ministerial berth. Thirdly she has made the right noises in keeping her ties with the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and has even invited her for the swearing in ceremony on May 20.

She has some capable people like Amit Mitra and if they are utilized properly, things will go well for the TMC chief. For a state like West Bengal, the problems are aplenty and it needs more than confrontational politics to succeed. She has to change her style of functioning and adapt to new surroundings. To run the Assembly, she needs the cooperation of the opposition also and how she deals with this is to be seen. It will be a whole new ball game for ‘ Didi”. She has proved her mettle as an agitational politician but will she prove to be a good administrator and a chief minister?

As for Jayalalithaa, this will be her third term as a chief minister. She has prime ministerial ambitions and wants to play a bigger role in the national scene. This was evident from the way leaders from the left, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi attended the swearing in ceremony. She had been hobnobbing with these leaders earlier also in the formation of a third front. It is not clear what kind of role she has visualized for herself in the coming days.

She needs to keep the lessons of her earlier regimes in mind if she wants to succeed. She has rightly identified her priorities as restoring law and order and good governance. The other problem is to fulfill her election promises of providing many sops matching the DMK offers. Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa have promised low-income voters free laptops, blenders; colour TVs and cable TV connections - paid for by taxpayer's money. She should also strive to provide corruption free administration since she has won on the plans of corruption.

First and foremost, will she change her dictatorial behavior and be more accessible to people? What will be her attitude to her party men? The photograph showing her ministers looking at her with folded hand standing in a row after her swearing in on Monday shows that she would like their obescience. Secondly, will she adopt vendetta politics, which she is known for? One cannot forget the mid night arrest of Karunanidhi during her last term and how she put in jail MDMK chief Vaiko in jail for months. Thirdly, she has no intentions of sharing power with her allies. Even Vijay Kant’s party DMDK will support her from out side. Fourthly, how will she treat her allies? For the time being she is showing friendly gestures to the left parties and other allies but how long will this last?

The initial responses from the both leaders are quite encouraging. Only time will tell whether they will be able to meet the aspirations of the people and provide good governance. (IPA Service)