Bengal’s booth battle: EC twin moves to test TMC’s ground muscle, BJP’s organisational mettle

Kolkata: With the Election Commission planning to add nearly 14,000 new polling booths amid prospective Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of rolls in West Bengal, the BJP faces a shortage of Booth Level Agents (BLAs), exposing a critical organisational gap that could weaken its 2026 poll challenge, while the TMC, with no such issues, exudes confidence.

For the Trinamool Congress, the expansion of polling stations from the existing 80,000 to an estimated 94,000, spread across 294 assembly seats, is less a burden than an opportunity to tighten its grip at the grassroots.

In contrast, the BJP functionaries acknowledge they are planning to cover only about 70 per cent of booths with BLAs during the SIR exercise, well short of what is needed to ensure an effective presence statewide.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP could deploy polling agents in around 50,000-55,000 of West Bengal’s existing 80,681 booths. The target now stands at 65,000-70,000, but insiders admit the party may struggle to get anywhere close.

“This time, the figure of BLAs will be higher during the SIR exercise. No political party can achieve a hundred per cent in terms of booth agents. But at the same time, it is a challenge for us in the booths where we are not able to appoint a BLA,” a senior state BJP leader told PTI on condition of anonymity.

West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya sought to project confidence, insisting that the party would cover “maximum number of booths.

“In booths where there are challenges, we will chalk out a strategy to overcome those challenges. Right now, I won’t divulge how many BLAs we have, as it’s an organisational matter,” he told PTI.

In the SIR process, BLAs work alongside Booth Level Officers (BLOs), government staff tasked with compiling accurate rolls. The agents collect and submit enumeration forms, flag names of deceased or shifted voters, and mobilise citizens to check draft rolls. In effect, they act as a party’s eyes and ears at the booth level.

Analysts say that without a robust BLA network, translating a groundswell of sentiment into actual votes becomes uncertain.

“Booth politics is about patience, local embedding and neighbourhood credibility. The TMC has mastered that; the BJP has not,” said political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty.

Another BJP leader admitted that redeploying booth presidents as agents may be unavoidable.

“We may be forced to do it. But it will weaken us when the real election comes,” the leader said.

The party’s struggle is most acute in minority-dominated areas spread across districts of Malda, Murshidabad, South Dinajpur and North Dinajpur, which account for about 19,000 booths.

“In minority areas, finding a party cadre as BLA is a real challenge. We have to ensure safety and security of our cadres first,” said a BJP functionary.

The contrast with Bihar could not be sharper. There, the SIR was conducted smoothly with 1.5 lakh BLAs in place, aided by cooperation between the BJP-JD(U) alliance and the state machinery.

In West Bengal, the atmosphere is far more combative. The Mamata Banerjee government is expected to resist EC initiatives, viewing them as extensions of the Centre’s “authoritarian overreach.” Convincing the state administration to implement the exercise fairly, political observers say, is a “herculean challenge".

Former West Bengal CEO and ex-TMC MP Jawhar Sircar explained the structural tilt.

“Wherever the ruling party controls the state, BLOs and BLAs of that party gain a natural edge. Just as the BJP had an advantage in Bihar, the TMC enjoys it here. But that may not be enough; many officials are aggrieved over pending dearness allowance dues and could work impartially,” he told PTI.

Since coming to power in 2011, the TMC has built a dense booth-level network, often described as its “nerve system.” From arranging local cultural events to mediating neighbourhood disputes, its cadre have embedded themselves deeply into communities.

“No party except TMC has the strength to man all booths. On paper, others may claim much, but the reality is clear,” TMC vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar said.

Indeed, TMC leaders privately point out that during elections, they deploy agents even for “dummy candidates” in panchayat polls, leaving no booth unmanned, no matter how small.

Opposition voices are candid about their handicap. Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said bluntly, “That is why public anger against TMC is not fully reflected in ballot boxes. With more booths, the pressure on us will only grow." The CPI(M), which once prided itself on unmatched organisational depth, insists it still retains presence but accuses the ruling party of misusing state machinery.

“Wherever TMC could not prevent our agents from sitting, they took over counting halls,” alleged senior leader Sujan Chakraborty.

Political scientist Maidul Islam argued that the SIR could serve as a mirror for the organisational strength of the parties.

“It’s a challenge, but also an opportunity for unfiltered feedback on booth strength. The BJP will still have three or four months to plug gaps before the polls,” he noted.

The state’s political history shows booth-level management can alter electoral destiny, from the CPI(M)’s famed “panchayat-to-polling booth” network of the 1980s to TMC’s building up on the same model after coming to power in 2011.

Today, the BJP is attempting to replicate that model, but it seems to be far behind the TMC.