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Voting for six phases of the Lok Sabha elections has been completed. While the seventh and final phase of voting is scheduled to be held on June 1. If we look at the number of seats in the Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal is the third most important state in the country. There are 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, 48 in Maharashtra and 42 in West Bengal. Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, 'Trinamool Congress (TMC) will contest the elections against BJP on its own in Bengal.' At the same time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, 'The party (BJP) will get the biggest success in Bengal.'
BJP's electoral record in West Bengal
The reason for BJP's confidence in West Bengal is its record. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, BJP could win only one seat here. There was no significant presence in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as well. In 2014, BJP won only two Lok Sabha seats in Bengal. After this, BJP changed its strategy. It presented itself as an alternative to Trinamool in a very aggressive manner. BJP's hard work paid off in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The results surprised everyone. In a state with 42 Lok Sabha seats, BJP has managed to win 18 seats. The vote share increased to 40%. On the other hand, Mamata Banerjee's challenge against Trinamool increased. In 2014, Trinamool won 34 seats, whereas in 2019 it managed to win only 22 seats.
The biggest blow to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been given by Suvendu Adhikari. Suvendu Adhikari, who joined BJP in December 2020, defeated Mamata in her stronghold Nandigram in the assembly elections held next year. Under the leadership of Adhikari, BJP has now become the main opposition party in the state.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: West Bengal
This time in West Bengal, BJP has targeted Trinamool on many issues including corruption, land grabbing, Sandeshkhali sexual abuse case. The decision of Calcutta High Court to cancel the recruitment of 25,000 teachers also became a weapon for BJP.
These issues can affect the results
Sandeshkhali incident: A village in Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district suddenly came into the limelight this year. Trinamool leader Shahjahan Sheikh was accused of sexual harassment by several women. There were also complaints of land grabbing. Shahjahan Sheikh was arrested on 29 February on the orders of the Calcutta High Court. The case is with the CBI. BJP paid a lot of attention to this issue in the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections 2024. The impact of this issue can be seen on the election results.
Distance from Bharat Alliance: Trinamool is part of the anti-BJP front at the national level, but not in Bengal. Trinamool did not contest the elections with Bharat Alliance, which could have harmed them. The Congress-CPI (M) alliance could harm Trinamool in many seats.
Muslim appeasement: The BJP has left no stone unturned to portray the Trinamool as anti-Hindu and pro-Muslim in Bengal. In the midst of elections, the Calcutta High Court struck down the Trinamool government's decision to grant OBC status to several Muslim communities. Prime Minister Modi said in an election rally, “Reservation is not given on the basis of religion.”
Women's Viewpoint: The Sandeshkhali episode may have damaged Mamata's image, but she has been successful in wooing women with her government schemes. Women of SC and ST category get Rs 1,000 per month and women of other categories get Rs 500 per month. 48% of the state's population is women. In the last election, Mamata has been getting the support of women. Women voters will play an important role in the results this time. It is difficult to say in which direction the electoral politics of Bengal will go. This time there are many silent voters in Bengal. In such a situation, the whole picture will be clear only on June 4.
