Poribortan of the East - The Bengal Files!

The recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections will be remembered as one of the most consequential in India’s political history. The BJP’s decisive victory not only ends 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule but sends strong reverberations across the country’s electoral landscape. It offers the BJP an unprecedented opportunity to govern the entire Ganga-Brahmaputra region, while putting the opposition, particularly regional satraps, on notice.

The Rot of Prolonged Misrule

West Bengal has suffered decades of governance failure—first under the Left Front for nearly 34 years, and then under Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress for another 15. Voters had initially turned to Mamata Banerjee hoping for change from the stagnation and corruption of the Left. Instead, they got a more chaotic and extractive regime. What followed was a toxic mix of incompetence, institutional capture, extortion (“hafta vasooli”), and syndicate raj. Major scams — from the Saradha Chit Fund to Rose Valley and the teachers’ recruitment scandal — became symbols of systemic loot. Industrial flight accelerated as investors fled the uncertainty, political violence, and constant extortion. Infrastructure lagged, jobs dried up, and Bengal continued to fall behind other states that benefited from central schemes. The administration was reduced to a family-centric fiefdom where loyalty mattered more than competence. Police and bureaucracy were politicized. Complaints of goonda raj were routinely ignored as long as the ruling party’s money-making machinery remained untouched. The result: a steady exodus of talent, capital, and hope.

Appeasement, Demographic Engineering, and Violence

Mamata Banerjee’s political formula relied heavily on consolidating the Muslim vote bank, which included large-scale infiltration from Bangladesh. In return for this support, the government was often seen as bending over backwards — from resisting border fencing to selective enforcement of law and order. Incidents of communal tension, attacks on Hindu festivals, land encroachment in border areas, and cattle smuggling were either downplayed or ignored. The Sandeshkhali atrocities, post-poll violence after 2021, and targeted attacks on BJP workers exposed the regime’s willingness to use violence as a political tool. Sexual violence was allegedly weaponized to silence dissent. The administration’s selective outrage and open defiance of central authorities on national security issues further alienated large sections of the population.
This hubris eventually became the regime’s undoing. What began as clever electoral arithmetic was increasingly perceived as anti-national cynicism and majoritarian persecution of the state’s Hindu population.

BJP’s Organizational Learning and Central Resolve

The BJP’s 2021 performance (winning 77 seats from near zero) showed promise but fell short due to organizational gaps and post-poll reprisals. This time, the party ran a sharper campaign, corrected past mistakes, and positioned itself as the credible alternative.

Crucially, the Central Government and the Election Commission learned from 2021. Key interventions included:

• Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to remove illegal and duplicate voters — a constitutionally mandated exercise that faced fierce resistance from TMC.
• Large-scale deployment of central forces (CRPF) to ensure free and fair polling, independent of state police control.
• Firm backing from the courts, which largely rejected attempts to obstruct the election process.

These steps helped create an environment where voters felt safer to express their true preference. The contrast with the fear and intimidation of previous elections was stark.

A New Chapter for Bengal

The people of West Bengal have spoken decisively. After enduring years of misrule, corruption, and fear, they chose change. The BJP now has a historic mandate to transform the state — from rebuilding industry and infrastructure to restoring law and order and economic dignity.

For Modi and Shah, this presents a rare opportunity to deliver visible development in India’s east and prove that “double engine” governance can work even in challenging political terrain. The road ahead won’t be easy. The new government must focus on healing divisions, attracting investment, and delivering governance that rises above the cycle of vendetta and appeasement.

Kudos to the Election Commission and central forces for their professionalism under difficult circumstances, and most importantly, to the voters of Bengal for showing courage and rejecting the politics of fear and entitlement.

Poriborton has finally arrived.