Kalpana Bora
(kalpana.bora@gmail.com)
‘‘Jaroori tha. Is baar BJP ko Bengal jitna zaroori tha.” This sentiment was shared by billions of Bharatiyas. Why? To save Bengal for Bharat. To change. To free Bengal from the syndicate of fear and terror. Whole Bharat is celebrating this historical victory – a mandate for faith, progress and development. Bengalis are celebrating Holi and Deepawali at the same time.
I happened to visit Kolkata about 3-4 years back and took a taxi from the airport. I like to interact with local people wherever I go to feel the place, and hence I started speaking with the driver of the taxi. The Hindi-speaking driver said, “Hindus cannot cast their votes in W. Bengal (WB). Gundas of some political party/parties guard Hindu localities, and Hindus simply cannot come out of their houses to vote. And people cannot chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ here in WB now.” These two sentences summarise the dire straits, the urgency, and why billions of Bharatiyas were having this sentiment deep inside their hearts and souls that the BJP wins in WB this time. In the assembly election held in April 2026, WB recorded a historic 92% voting turnout (including Bhadralok). For Paribartan, the phrase “Kamal khila hai” signifies a historic first in Bengal.
A look back at history: Bengal has always been the home ground for revolutions. The revolt for freedom of 1857 got ignited in the Barrackpore regiment of Bengal with the uprising and execution of a sepoy, Mangal Pandey, of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry. Revolutionary societies (like Anushilan Samiti 1902, Jugantar 1906, etc.) were formed in Bengal to bolster revolt against the British. Historically, land affairs in Bengal have been feudal and exploitative, based on the zamindari system. The agrarian distress of peasants has a long history dating back to the Mughal period, with conflicts between the landlords and the poor peasants. The violent ‘Naxalite’ movement in the late 1960s was also a result of that.
The poll violence after independence that would create an atmosphere of terror became a new normal in the 1960s with the rise of the Left Front led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). One of the most brutal was the incidence of the March 1970 murders in Sainbari. Then in the 1972 assembly elections, the victory of Congress is also believed to be scarred with muscle power. In the 1977 assembly elections, CPI (M) came to power for the first time, with a focus on controlling panchayats by money and muscle power. Bengali society was slowly becoming politicised, radicalised and polarised. The opposition voices were brutally and systematically suffocated and suppressed. On July 21, 1993, State Police opened fire on a youth protest march in the heart of Kolkata city, killing 13 people. Protests in Singur and Nandigram killed nearly 50 people during 2007-08, which led to the fall of the Left Front, and the TMC formed a government in 2011.
Post-TMC Era (2011 onwards): Though governments changed, politics of violence hardly changed. The 2018 Panchayat polls were marred with incidents of widespread violence in the state, with several killed and 34% of seats being won by the TMC uncontested. The 2019 Lok Sabha polls also saw similar instances of violence. In the 2021 assembly elections, it is claimed that at least 130 BJP workers were killed in the state, and violence reached its peak in these elections. Be it Congress, the Left or TMC, they all have purposefully used structured, state-sponsored poll violence as a mechanism to withhold power and suppress political opposition. This attitude has also created issues of centre-state conflict over various issues, which is hampering progress and development of the state. Let’s have a look at some issues witnessed in WB during past years:
1. Women’s Safety, Social: Due to atrocities, women and Hindus had become so vulnerable during the last decade or so. TMC even voted against the Women’s Reservation Bill on April 17, 2026, in Lok Sabha. Lynching, sexual assault, looting of property, and whatnot? Who can forget the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case of August 2024? In North Dinajpur, in a public flogging incident in July 2024, a woman was publicly beaten by a local TMC leader. In Sandeshkhali, on 21st February, 2024, innocent and impoverished women were harassed and sexually assaulted by a local gang of a political person. In the Malda case of 2023, two women were stripped and assaulted. And this is just the tip of the iceberg! Hatred got instilled into the hearts and minds of Bengal’s women and people against the state-sponsored gundagardi in Bengal, and hence, people came out to vote, with up to 92% polling in this election of 2026, with security being provided by the Central Security Forces. This would not have been possible with state police only.
2. Threat to Democracy: SIR (Special Intensive Revision) done by ECI (Election Commission of India) before elections of April 2026 also faced a lot of resistance and hindrances from the ruling TMC (Trinamul Congress) government, as they were afraid that the names of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and other bogus voters that form their vote bank might be struck off from the election roll. Even people of the judiciary were hijacked. Deprivation of the rights of bona fide citizens to vote is torture of democracy and undermining the democratic values of the nation.
3. Illegal immigration, demographic imbalance and other threats: West Bengal shares 54% (2216 km) of the border of India with Bangladesh, and hence it is badly affected by cross-border infiltration, which is dominated mainly by poor Muslims of Bangladesh. This has continued ever since the partition of Bengal. It is estimated that 6.28 million Bangladeshi Muslims have infiltrated India, mainly in WB, only during 1981-1991 itself. Because of which there has been a significant increase in the Muslim population and decrease in the Hindu population in border areas of WB. Moreover, their higher birth rate disproportionately increases their population, which creates a threat to the security of the nation; deforestation (as they encroach upon government lands by cutting trees) affects the economy negatively. It affects safety as well, as such people engage in illegal activities. Surprisingly, the WB government did not allow the central government to fence the international border with Bangladesh.
4. Economy & Development: A state that once stood among India’s foremost economic powerhouses has gradually slid into a cycle of debt and decline. The productive sectors, like heavy industry and IT, are struggling. According to a research paper by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), WB’s share of the national GDP dropped from 10.5% in 1960–61 to just 5.6% in 2023–24. The relative per capita income in WB, which used to be 127.5% of the national average, has crashed to 83.7%. Thousands of companies have moved out of the state (because of the “Syndicate System”). Infrastructure gaps and factory closures have further weakened the industrial ecosystem. Ironically, in WB’s budget, more funds are allocated to madrasa education than to industries.
5. Conflict with the central government: Just as an example, the TMC government did not allow implementation of Ayushman Bharat in WB (withdrew in 2019). The allegations of discrimination/denial of benefits of state/central government schemes, etc., by the officials concerned had been reported.
6. Corruption: Earlier, during the times of the CPI(M) era, the alleged corruption money was distributed in a decentralised manner among people concerned, but during the past few years, this became centralised, remaining confined to only very few influential people. The type of corruption could be anything – cross-border smuggling of cattle, entry of illegal Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh, encroachment of land by these IMs, corruption in appointments even in health, education, police sectors, etc.
7. Violence during elections: Poll violence in elections in West Bengal has become like an endemic and a part of political culture. According to the NCRB data, the rate of such “political” murders is highest in the State of West Bengal.
8. Communal polarisation and targeted attacks on Hindus: Among many, the most recent example is post-Waqf violence in April 2025, in which Hindus were attacked, and state police were completely inactive and absent. Houses not bearing the symbol of the ruling party were destroyed. Vandalising during Ram Navami celebrations in 2025–2026 and attacks on temples have been reported, adding to the trend of rising radicalisation and communal vulnerability.
This environment of fear, terror, catastrophic demographic imbalance with a decreasing Hindu population, failure of the democratic system, and threat to the safety and security of Bharatiya citizens had to be changed. And hence, the BJP’s win in W. Bengal was “Jaroori” this time. People have voted for politics of nationalism. This reaffirms our faith in “Sanatani philosophy – Dharm ki Adharm par Vijay”. Bhagwan Krishna said, ‘To annihilate adharmi, himsa (violence) is not adharma.’ “Ahimsa param dharma, himsa dharma tathaiv cha.” During this election in W. Bengal, it appears that Ma Kaali and Ma Durga have descended to earth. From Gangotri to Gangasagar. May Ma Durga always bless Bengal. Thank you ECI. Thank you, BJP. Thank you, West Bengal.