West Bengal: The sport of thrones, Modi versus Mamata

For over a decade, Narendra Modi, the BJP and the RSS have set their hearts on ‘capturing’ West Bengal. They had been sanguine of their possibilities of wresting the state, given the ‘lawlessness, lies and loot’, the ‘syndicate raj’ and the tradition of ‘minimize cash’ and corruption. That hope was not totally misplaced both. The BJP’s vote share elevated at a quick clip, from a paltry 10.3 per cent in 2016 to 37–38 per cent throughout the 2021 meeting election and the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

In 2021, the BJP and Modi had been satisfied that victory was a performed deal. The election end result, nonetheless, was painful. The get together gained 77 seats within the 294-member Bengal Home whereas Mamata Banerjee romped house with a two-thirds majority and 213 seats.

For the 2026 marketing campaign, BJP supporters within the state anticipated Modi to land a rhetorical bunker-busting bomb to shatter Mamata Banerjee’s defences. There was sufficient ammunition within the type of corruption expenses in opposition to ministers, successive rape scandals and the fiasco over recruitment of college lecturers and civic volunteers.

To their shock, Modi moderated his rhetoric throughout his go to to the state this month and refused to call and disgrace Mamata Banerjee. He appeared to be treading rigorously on a mattress of nasty nails, intent on not mocking Didi as he had performed in 2021.

What was each important and intriguing was Modi’s deafening silence on Bengali-speaking Indian residents being detained as Bangladeshis throughout the nation, a few of whom had been even pushed into Bangladesh.