On May 4, the results of the West Bengal elections were announced, and they brought an end to Mamata’s rule. For the past 15 years, Mamata Banerjee had been the chief minister of West Bengal, but on May 4 she had to face defeat. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party had been trying to come to power in West Bengal for nearly 20 years, and that moment finally arrived on May 4, marking a major victory for the party in this election.
If we talk about the results, the Bharatiya Janata Party won 206 seats, while the All India Trinamool Congress secured 81 seats.
Why did this happen? Since 2011, Mamata Banerjee has been consistently winning elections by large margins. In 2011, the All India Trinamool Congress formed the government with 184 seats. In 2016, the TMC won 211 seats, bringing Mamata Banerjee to power for a second term. Then, in 2021, the TMC secured 213 seats, and Mamata Banerjee became chief minister for the third time.
In all three of these elections, the party delivered a stellar performance and easily formed the government with a majority. However, this time the situation changed completely; the TMC could win only 86 seats, suffered a crushing defeat, and lost power.
Mamata Banerjee had been ruling West Bengal for 15 years, and strong anti-incumbency had built up. Because of this, All India Trinamool Congress did not receive many votes in the West Bengal election and could win only around 80 seats.
During the 15-year government of Mamata Banerjee, there were many allegations of corruption, which was also one of the reasons why All India Trinamool Congress had to face defeat.
These were some of the corruption allegations that were widely known among the people.
School Recruitment Scam (SSC), Ration Distribution Scam, Coal Smuggling Scam, Cow Smuggling Scam, Sandeshkhali Land Grab and Sexual Abuse Case, Narada Sting Operation, Saradha and Rose Valley Ponzi Schemes, Cut Money and Syndicate Raj, Cash-for-Query Scam (Expulsion of Mahua Moitra), Violence and Post-Poll Incidents.
Photo: @Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP via Getty Images
Suvendu Adhikari was earlier a senior leader in All India Trinamool Congress and was considered the second power center after Mamata Banerjee. However, he left TMC and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. After his switch, a significant portion of TMC’s support base shifted toward BJP, which helped the party gain a major advantage in the election.
In this election, Mamata Banerjee had to face defeat even in her own seat, Bhabanipur. Suvendu Adhikari won from Bhabanipur by 15,105 votes, defeating Mamata Banerjee.
In West Bengal, women’s safety has become a major issue. One case that became very famous was the Kolkata rape case, which damaged the image of the government led by Mamata Banerjee. Moreover, incidents of violence against women did not decrease over time in the state. This also became one of the reasons behind Mamata Banerjee’s defeat.
Bharatiya Janata Party has been working in West Bengal for the last 20 years, and this result reflects that effort as the party delivered a strong performance in the state. BJP’s active strategy at the booth level, along with the strategies of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, also played an important role. This helped BJP successfully break the strong political stronghold of All India Trinamool Congress.
All India Trinamool Congress had often been accused of intimidating voters before elections in West Bengal, and many such cases had surfaced in previous elections. Because of this, the Election Commission of India deployed central forces throughout the election this time to ensure that voting could take place properly and without fear.
As a result, West Bengal recorded 92.07% voter turnout, the highest ever since Indian independence,, making it a historic record.
In this election, nine ministers from All India Trinamool Congress also lost their seats. When even government ministers lose elections, it raises serious questions about the party’s support among voters. This shows that the dissatisfaction was not just at the local level but had reached the top levels of the government led by Mamata Banerjee.
