According to a well-connected Bengali political journalist, President Pranab Mukherjee said about Mamata Banerjee, when asked whether she would be able to make the transition from a mercurial fire-brand opposition leader to Chief Minister easily, “Why not? People grow and mature on the job, and Mamata is a quick learner.”

Of the eight chief ministers since independence, she will be third, after BC Roy and Jyoti Basu, to complete two consecutive terms in office, if simultaneous poll to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas is not held in 2019.

The initial skepticism about her ability to run the state stemmed from the fact that she did not conform to the model of a bhadralok politician typified by her illustrious predecessors like BC Roy, SS Ray, Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. Her lower middle class origins, abrasive forthright style and unpolished language in public place her outside the club of genteel bhadramohila.

It was almost beyond comprehension of political analysts in 2011 that Mamata would turn her lack of proper cultural capital to her own advantage, and gradually seek to establish an alternative model of political leadership through her simplicity and emotionality to reduce the social distance between her and the people of the state.

From Day1, she chose not to run the administration from the ivory tower of Writers’Buildings (and later Nabanna) and took it to the doorstep of common people to convey the simple message ami tomaderi lok (I am your gate-keeper). Another contributing factor reducing social distance between the Head of Government and the commoners is that Mamata very actively uses religious symbolism and appeals to religious identity, unlike her predecessors and secular Left, offering namaz, celebrating Eid or joining Christmas prayers in church.

As a straightforward administrator, she avoids polished ideological debate and prefers to act in an activist’s confrontational style. Leaving aside dry statistics about the SGDP growth or whether the state has outperformed the Centre or other states in this regard, the fact remains that the Chief Minister’s focus has always been on rural Bengal where more than eight crore out of nine crore plus people reside.

Even her worst critics will have to concede the improvement in rural infrastructure, particularly in road connectivity and conversion of kutcha into pucca roads, and rural electrification over the last five years. Distribution of cereals at subsidised rates to huge number of people below the poverty line has been a great relief to the poor and the needy. A recent report in The Statesman (21 June) discloses that the state has been awarded for outstanding performance in four rural schemes in a single year even though the Centre is reportedly unhappy with the state’s performance.

Four lakh houses, the highest in the country, have been constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and the beneficiaries identified. The best performer award goes to the state in respect of three other schemes – MGNREGA, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and Deendayal Upadhyaya National Rural Livelihoods Mission. About 13,338 rural habitations have been connected by constructing 23,367.4 kilometres of roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. Of the three public service schemes to address pressing social concerns, introduced during her first term, Kanyashree has recently received the UN award at The Hague.

Intended to stop school drop-outs and child marriages, the scheme has already benefited 40 lakh girl students. Yuvashri Prakalpa is providing unemployment allowance of Rs.1500 per month to 1,00,000 unemployed youth. Under Sabuj Sathi scheme, bicycles are distributed to 40 lakh students of class IX to XII studying in government and government-aided schools and madrasas. With landslide victory in the Assembly poll of 2016 and riding on the Supreme court verdict in the Singur case on 31 August 2016, which came as a shot in the arm for Mamata, the chief minister has been tightening her grip on both party and administration.

The way she lately conducted the district-level-meetings with minutest details at her finger tips reminds us of the days of the Atulya Ghosh-BC Roy duo whose voices could never be challenged, the only difference being Mamata combines in her persona both party and government. Turning her attention to health and education, the chief minister has admonished private hospitals in an open meeting for medical negligence, over-billing and harassment of common people.

The West Bengal Clinical Establishments Act 2017 now empowers the Regulatory Commission to fix the rates/charges for treatment, diagnostic tests and other services provided by private hospitals and laboratories. Similarly a 13-member Regulatory commission has been formed to look into grievances and complaints against private schools and keep control over fee-structure and donations.

The biggest reform in college union elections, reportedly being vetted by the Law department, is now in the offing. It includes barring students from contesting elections on political party symbols, shutting out political parties and leaders from campuses during elections and banning posters and festoons. The rules, once passed by the Assembly, will come into force from the December-January cycle of campus polls.

The indefinite strike of the GJMM over the demand for statehood of Darjeeling has disturbed peace and adversely affected the economy of the hills. A moderate estimate of the latter has placed the figure at Rs.150 crore. Tourism has suffered immensely. Bimal Gurung and the co-sponsors have to be brought to the negotiating table at the earliest with no pre-condition attached save and except the state’s geographical entity cannot be compromised. This is the only sore point, as of now, in the otherwise distinguished stint of Mamata Banerjee.

How will history remember Mamata Banerjee? Dr. B C Roy is unequivocally credited with being the architect of modern Bengal. Jyoti Basu deserves compliments for setting up the institutional mechanism for decentralisation of power and planning. After the Apex court verdict on Singur, Mamata Banerjee’s role in the movement has found place in history books for class VIII in schools affiliated to the state Board.

But primarily and above everything else, she is the commoner’s CM and assured of her place in history not because of the quality of her ideology and eloquence but for her simplicity, passion and emotional content.

The writer is a former Joint Secretary to the Government of West Bengal.