The BJP must respect Bengal's pluralistic ethos and with this historic mandate give the state the constructive change it truly deserves, expects Kolkata native Payal Singh Mohanka.
Key Points
- While Didi's dole culture had kept her vote bank satiated, syndicates, scams, 'cut money' and across the board rampant corruption were her undoing.
- Despite mega events to attract business, there has been an abysmal lack of industry and development and MOUs that never translated into reality.
- 'This time the anti-Mamata wave has been like psychological, mentally disturbing warfare. People could not even speak without the discussion turning abusive.'
With the promise of 'poribortan', the Bharatiya Janata Party's juggernaut surges into West Bengal.
A cascade of emotions: Disbelief, euphoria and shock sweep across the state which had till now eluded the saffron brigade.
The BJP notched up an astounding 206 seats out of 294 while the Trinamool Congress managed just 81.
Three-time TMC chief minister Mamata Banerjee lost her seat in Bhabanipur to the BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, her former protege, by over 15,000 votes.
The Congress won 2 seats, while the CPI-M got 1. A landslide victory for the BJP in a state which has always viewed it as an 'outsider' completely disconnected with the pulse of the people and the essence of Bengal.
From 3 seats in the 2016 West Bengal assembly elections to 77 in 2021, the party's rise in 2026 has been meteoric.
Interestingly, on the 125th birth anniversary year of its ideological founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee, the BJP is set to form its government in his birthplace for the very first time.
Huge anti-incumbency which had catapulted Mamata Banerjee into the chief minister's chair in 2011 has now claimed her government.
Overseen by over 2,100 companies of paramilitary forces, the state witnessed an unprecedented 93% voter turnout in its most peaceful election and ushered in a new era after 34 years of Left Front rule, followed by 15 years of the TMC.
After close to half a century, West Bengal gets a 'double engine sarkar'. Huge hopes are pinned on smooth Centre-state relations for the advancement of the state.
This sweeping verdict is a desperate cry for change.
Corruption Hurt TMC
While Didi's dole culture had kept her vote bank satiated, syndicates, scams, 'cut money' and across the board rampant corruption were her undoing.
In addition to the existing Rs 1,500 grant for women, a Rs 1,000 monthly grant for unemployed youth was introduced this year.
Growing unemployment has compelled the young to leave the city in droves.
Despite mega events to attract business, there has been an abysmal lack of industry and development and MOUs that never translated into reality.
The dismal state of healthcare and educational institutions in an uninterrupted rule of 15 years added to the bleak landscape.
The brutal rape and murder of a junior doctor on the premises of the R G Kar medical college and hospital in 2024 has not been totally obliterated from public memory.
While Didi cannot be held responsible for the crime, her response was abysmal as she brazenly tried to shield the principal under whose watch the heinous crime occurred.
Kolkata rose in protest like never before. Thousands of women came out on the streets at midnight to express solidarity with the victim's family but an unfeeling administration looked the other way.
Ratna Debnath, the R G Kar victim's mother, won the Panihati seat for the BJP in this election.
The lethal blend of apathy, arrogance and misgovernance has now paved the way for a new entity.
What worked in the BJP's favour?
- A despondent state craving change.
- An aggressive campaign asking voters to brush aside fear and have faith. A campaign that tried to be more mindful than it was in 2021 where Narendra Modi's 'Didi o Didi' call, portrayed as denigrating women, cost the BJP dearly. While there was some noise about 'outsiders' conducting the campaign, there were no gaffes this time.
- The rural areas witnessed the RSS campaigning too.
- A state which has close to 30% Muslims saw a huge consolidation of Hindu votes. The BJP has been highlighting the changing demography of the state.
- A state desperately hoping for industrial development, job creation and a corruption-free administration.
- Emphasis on the safety of women.
- Driving home the need to secure Bengal's borders and to check illegal infiltration.
- With the same government at the Centre, the constant bickering between Kolkata and New Delhi would end. Purse strings would be loosened and projects would make headway.
- While Didi doles out Rs 1,500 to women, the BJP has promised Rs 3,000 a month.
BJP Wins Despite Voter Anger
The BJP's victory is despite the anger with the party over the rushed Special Intensive Revision, which left many voters disenfranchised. It is also a victory despite no CM face for the state.
"This election saw two very strong negative waves fighting each other. I have never seen such antagonism in an election before," Jawhar Sircar, the Rajya Sabha MP who quit the TMC, says. "There is so much hatred on each side."
"This time the anti-Mamata wave has been like psychological, mentally disturbing warfare. People could not even speak without the discussion turning abusive. Voters and citizens have been acting like trolls. This trollisation of the voter is a new phenomenon."
"Bengal is bleeding," notes Sircar. "The state has lost a lot of economic progress in 15 years largely because of Didi's ego. The biggest suffering in Bengal has been self-inflicted."
"Didi takes her belligerence to a personal level. A hostile relationship with the Centre has been detrimental for the state," Sircar, a 1975 vintage IAS officer, adds. "The bureaucracy is not allowed to function normally and maintain civil terms with its counterparts at the Centre. Sycophancy is rewarded over efficiency."
While Didi's decimation will weaken the Opposition in the country, the BJP's performance in Bengal in the next three years could have a serious impact on the 2029 Lok Sabha elections when the ruling party completes 15 years at the Centre.
"This victory is not just a BJP victory," says Shishir Bajoria, a member of the BJP's election management team in Bengal. "This victory is for the people of West Bengal and the revival of the state. This state was once number one. Sadly, the last five decades have seen its downward journey."
"Things will now change," assures Bajoria. "The doctrine of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas will be followed. Minorities will not be shafted."
The BJP needs to work on overdrive to deliver its promises in a state that has only seen neglect and a singular lack of vision.
Muscle-flexing, aggression and interference in personal choices will not yield good results in Bengal. Keeping the state's cultural fabric intact, the BJP needs to focus on jobs, development and better infrastructure.
It needs to forge ahead without stepping on the toes of the minorities and ensuring the Bengali bhadrolok's 'asmita', pride in their identity is not hurt.
The BJP must respect the pluralistic ethos of the state and with this historic mandate give Bengal the constructive change it truly deserves.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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