Assembly Elections 2026: As Mamata Takes Centre Stage, BJP Goes For Final Push, SIR, Identity & Welfarism In Focus

As Bengal walks into assembly polls, the contest promises to be another high-voltage one, with the state standing as a prominent roadblock to BJP's electoral momentum. Since Mamata Banerjee' rise to power in 2011 after putting an end to a mighty three-decade Left rule in the state, the political landscape of the state has morphed beyond recognition. From the BJP failing to secure a single seat in 2011 to emerging as the primary opposition in the state, the state's politics has evolved, contours retraced, lines re-drawn.  The Left and Congress, once driving forces in the state, fight a battle for survival and relevance, as the binary emerges at the fore.

The Numbers

The major parties in the fray will be fielding candidates across 294 constituencies, with no major alliance on the cards this time in their attempt to cross the majority mark of 148. In 2021, TMC swept the polls with 215 seats, BJP secured 77 and the ISF secured a solitary seat while the Congress and CPI(M) failed to put their names on the list having failed to win a single seat for the first time. The 2021 elections brought a complete overhaul in the opposition narrative and composition and major changes to the political landscape of Bengal, in sharp contrast to 2016 where TMC had secured 211 seats, INC stood at 44, CPIM at 26, while the BJP had won in only 3 constituencies.

Major Faces

While the primary show-off will be between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, the elections also bring with it a spate of faces, who will pull the wagons for all the parties in the fray. Trinamool’s top brass Firhad Hakim, Bratya Basu, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Arup Ray, Sujit Bose, Sashi Panja will square off against the BJP’s Shankar Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Ashok Lahiri, Neeraj Tamang Zimba and others. TMC General Secretary MP Abhishek Banerjee and new BJP President Samik Bhattacharya have also been playing crucial roles in driving campaigns and strategies.

Primary Issues

SIR

Over the past few months, Mamata Banerjee has emerged as the fiercest and strongest voice against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Her relentless onslaught on the ECI and consistency in expression her party’s apprehensions about the exercise took centre stage which she took the battle to Delhi, going to the extent of voicing her concerns in the Supreme Court. SIR continues to be in tricky grounds following the SC’s intervention, as almost 60 lakh voters await a decision on their voter status. The SIR has emerged as the primary poll plank for Mamata Banerjee and her party in the run-up to the elections.

Welfare Schemes

Mamata Banerjee’s welfare schemes have played an important role in consolidating her voter primary vote banks over the years especially women and the minority communities. With the new Yuva Sathi Scheme and hikes in the Lakshmir Bhandar amounts announced by the state government in the recent interim budget, the BJP has also used Central schemes and new ones to counter TMC’s momentum. PM Narendra Modi in his recent visits to Bengal spoke of the Centre’s welfare plans highlighting BJP’s vision of job creation, public welfare and overall development.

Infiltration

Infiltration continues to be the central point for BJP against the ruling party in Bengal. The party’s top brass has reiterated their desire to sanitise the voter rolls and free the state of illegal infiltrators, especially Muslim infiltrators from Bangladesh. They have called out illegal immigration and the threat it poses to the demography. The Prime Minister has also assured asylum to Hindu people facing religious persecution in neighbouring countries through CAA. BJP has continued to promise checks on infiltration, which, to them, would bring about a significant change in the functioning of the state’s machinery.

Women’s Issues

While Mamata Banerjee has consistently pushed a women-forward direction for the TMC’s manifestos and policies over the years, the recent incidents of the RG Kar rape and murder case and the South Calcutta Law College rape case have raised strong questions on women’s safety in the state. The BJP has placed women’s safety at the core of its electoral promises, with PM Modi in his recent visits harping on the issue with significant emphasis. The TMC on the other hand have always countered these promises by highlighting such instances across the country and branding the BJP as inherently anti-women. 

Cultural Identity 

TMC’s consistent criticism of the BJP as the ‘outsider party’ have been driven by takedowns of BJP’s attempts at appropriating Bengal’s cultures and icons. They have pointed out multiple times that Bengal, led by Tagore and Bose, have always harboured an idea of nationalism that stands in direct contrast to BJP’s ideological core of Hindutva. However, BJP has not only continued but has ramped up its attempts to centre recent speeches around Bengali freedom fighters, artists and icons quite prominently. Leaders have promised a revival of the cultural space and richness, which they claim the TMC have hijacked and soiled over the years.