Shikha Mukerjee
BJP’s Bengal moment: Big win, bigger risks
A wave of anti-incumbency swept BJP to power in Bengal, cutting across regions and communities. But delivering on promises, managing identity tensions and restoring institutional trust will determine whether this landslide becomes lasting political change
Can BJP turn anti-incumbency sentiment into victory in Bengal?
BJP has mounted an all-out campaign to unseat Mamata in Bengal, but despite anti-incumbency, Suvendu Adhikari’s rise and Modi’s campaign blitz, cultural missteps, voter alienation and Didi’s enduring appeal complicate its path
In West Bengal, the real battle is between SIR & anti-incumbency
As Mamata Banerjee seeks a fourth straight term, SIR — which has deleted or put under adjudication one in 10 of the state’s voters — has eclipsed incumbency, recasting Bengal’s election as a struggle over identity and exclusion
The Messy Affair Wasn't Football Hooliganism
Kolkata witnessed what happens when paying public are treated with contempt. Telangana admin showed Bengal authorities how to organise a superstar tour
Whose Didi are you, they’re asking
Bengal’s women, so far Mamata’s most loyal voters, are angry. They are mobilising because RG Kar horror isn’t the first time she’s been found wanting in her response to violence against women
Can Bangladesh’s banker to the poor save its democracy?
Yunus as head of interim govt will be working on an agenda set by other forces. Legitimacy of his administration will depend on how quickly he restores order and holds free and fair elections
Five reasons Mamata won big
* She campaigned like Fury * Her two-path INDIA strategy was politically astute * Abhishek did a lot of heavy lifting * Sandeshkhali took no toll * BJP campaign was over-centralised
What Bengal thinks today
BJP’s campaign in the state seems to have stumbled. CAA hasn’t worked for the party. TMC, Congress & CPM are now rivals, not enemies
The idea of INDIA, lost in a loose plot
As opposition parties tiptoe around seat-sharing talks, BJP is exploiting the obvious contradictions to tell the story of how the alliance falters
The message in Bengal’s bombs and ballots
Panchayat poll violence was maximum in some Lok Sabha strongholds of anti-Trinamool parties in the state. The larger story is 2024. Mamata’s partyis determined to regain ground lost in 2019 LS polls