Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : Analysis: Congress, Left Weigh Alliance Dilemma As TMC-BJP Dominates Bengal Politics | India News and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
Facing a political landscape in West Bengal that has, for years, been dominated by a direct contest between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the principal Opposition BJP, the Congress and the CPI(M)-led Left are once again grappling with the question of whether to forge an alliance for the upcoming Assembly elections.
According to the Indian Express reports, a section of the state Congress said the party should move away from electoral compulsions and contest the polls independently. They argue that going solo in the March–April Assembly elections would help focus on the long-term revival and strengthening of the party’s organisational base in the state.
Recent political developments, including the controversy over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the Enforcement Directorate’s raids on the premises of I-PAC, the election management firm working for the TMC in Bengal, have further underscored that the political confrontation in the state remains largely centred on a sharp and increasingly bitter face-off between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the BJP.
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According to ECI data, in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, the TMC delivered a dominant performance, contesting 290 seats and winning 215, securing 48.02 per cent of the total vote share. Ehile the BJP emerged as the principal opposition, winning 77, with a vote share of 37.97 per cent. The CPI(M), which holds the dominant position in the state, despite contesting 139 seats, failed to win any and secured 4.71 per cent of the votes. The Congress also failed to win a single seat, contesting 92 constituencies and polling 3.03 per cent of the vote share.
The ruling Trinamool Congress continues its dominance in Lok Sabha elections 2024 by winning 29 seats, reinforcing its strong grip on the state’s politics. The saffron trails far behind with 12 seats in the state. The Congress manages to secure just one seat, underlining its marginal presence in Bengal politics.