Unprecedented success for BJP in Bengal, gets 18 seats

West Bengal witnessed an unprecedented rise of BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with the saffron party achieving its highest ever tally of 18 seats in the state.

The Trinamool Congress despite the call of winning all the 42 constituencies in Bengal by party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee managed to get 22 seats. The final results were declared in the early morning on Friday.

In terms of vote share also BJP is breathing down on TMC’s neck. While the saffron party got 40.3 % of the votes in Bengal TMC got 43.3 %.
CPI(M)-led Left Front which ruled the state for 34 years drew a blank this time and Congress managed to retain two seats.

While the CPI(M) got 6.3% of the votes Congress got 5.6% of the votes.

BJP only secured two seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but this time around, there are several reasons behind BJP’s unprecedented success in Bengal.

First, the Left Front’s vote share in Bengal which was about 28% in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections has most likely shifted top BJP this time.

Second, BJP’s impressive performance in last year’s panchayat elections in the districts of Bankura, Purulia and Jhargram where it got substantial number of tribal votes seems to have benefited the saffron party.

Third, BJP’s success in the constituencies in north Bengal such as Darjeeling and Alipurduar seems can be attributed to TMC’s inability to earn the support of the local communities as well as to address the crisis of the local tea gardens.

Fourth, BJP’s tactics of polarisation by means activities such as armed Ram Navami rallies, repeated allegations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah that the TMC government was obstructing Hindu religious festivals such as Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja seems to have paid dividend.