Is Mamata Banerjee’s Victory a Turning Point in Indian Politics?

TMC registered a big win over its rival – BJP, in the West Bengal Assembly elections on Sunday, 2 May.

Despite all it’s efforts, BJP could manage only 77 seats in West Bengal

Photo Credit: The Quint

Video Producer: Mayank Chawla
Video Editor: Sandeep Suman

On May 2, the results of five states- West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were announced. Despite BJP’s strength and rigorous campaigning, Mamata Banerjee’s TMC emerged as the victor in the most closely watched elections of West Bengal.

TMC Returns in Bengal With 213 Seats. (Graphics: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

Secondly, the saffron party’s plan to turn the SC and backward class into their vote base also did not succeed.

Why did BJP Not Succeed?

The BJP felt that Bengal could be a big polarisation laboratory for them. Despite having a 25 percent Muslim population in the state, phrases coined by BJP supremos, such as ‘Vande Mataram’, ‘Bharat Mata’, and ‘Hindutva’ could not dent the mandate of the people of Bengal. The politics of polarisation clearly did not work here.

What worked for TMC?

TMC got votes from both Hindu and Muslim voters. A large number of Hindu women became its vote bank. It also secured a much greater vote share from urban Bengal.

The BJP and its alliance partners won 75 out of the 126 seats. (Graphic: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

While the BJP remained firm in Assam, due to the performance of local faces, in Tamil Nadu, the party tried to infiltrate the Dravidian parties as a non-Dravidian entity, but could not succeed. MK Stalin will become the CM after a long career.

Regional parties have stood up to the BJP while the Congress has not been able to play that role. The big question is, will Mamata be able to become the axis of Opposition?