‘BJP broke TMC’s party-state system’: Analyst on West Bengal election result

Under the Trinamool Congress (TMC), West Bengal had become a ‘party-state’ where leaders and cadres of the party controlled all spheres of life, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) broke that party-state system, according to political analyst Deep Halder.

In the West Bengal elections,
the BJP won a two-thirds majority with 207 seats, reducing the TMC to just 80 seats.

The election result marked the BJP’s first victory in West Bengal, which had long been a bastion of left-wing forces. From 1977 to 2011, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) ruled West Bengal uninterruptedly until it was ousted by Mamata Banerjee’s TMC. For years, Mamata appeared invincible in the state.

Bengalis grew disillusioned with the communists and brought Mamata to power with an overwhelming mandate, driving the Left to the margins. Now, they have driven her out to give the BJP a chance. Halder said Mamata ended up entrenching the same system she had promised to break and reform.

“Just like the communist era, the TMC acquired control over all spheres of life under Mamata. From local contractors to cultural institutions and appointments in the government, the TMC ran the show. You could not get anything done unless you were on good terms with TMC leaders. Their cadres ran the streets. This was exactly what Mamata campaigned against as a rival to the communists. The mandate is a result of backlash against such a party-state,” said Halder.

Follow our live coverage of assembly election results
here

The backlash was years in the making. In the previous state elections in 2021, the backlash was such that Mamata Banerjee lost her seat, Nandigram, to the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari but she somehow managed to form the government. But she could not get anywhere near the majority mark this time.

Mamata doing exactly what she had opposed during the communist rule also influenced the religious dynamics that benefited the BJP. Halder noted that Mamata, as an Opposition leader, had been vocal about illegal immigrants arriving in West Bengal and altering demographic patterns.

Once in government, however, Mamata did not act on the issue of illegal immigrants, and her inaction allowed the BJP to use it to consolidate Hindu voters in the state, said Halder, adding that her stance on Bangladesh was also used by the BJP in its campaign

ALSO READ —
The Bangladesh factor in Bengal election: How BJP performed in border area constituencies

“The issue of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh by radical forces, and concerns about the violence spilling over into West Bengal reinforced the BJP’s consolidation of Hindus. This is how the BJP won despite the TMC being confident of victory with the support of Muslims, who form around 30 per cent of the state’s voters, and beneficiaries of welfare schemes across religious and caste lines,” Halder told Firstpost.

Now that the BJP has won, it faces the same challenge of not becoming what it opposed.

“Bengalis have seen two party-states now under the TMC and the communists, and they rejected both of them. If the BJP becomes the same, they would reject the BJP as well at some point. West Bengal wants jobs and a sense of security. Now the BJP has to deliver on its promises,” said Halder.