Kolkata, Mar 15 (PTI) With the poll season in West Bengal now officially underway, several issues are expected to dominate the campaign rhetoric of political parties in the weeks ahead.
SIR/Citizenship anxiety: The publication of post-SIR electoral rolls has triggered one of the most significant pre-election developments in the state in recent years, as the revision pruned nearly 63.66 lakh names from the voter list ahead of the assembly polls.
With the electorate shrinking from 7.66 crore to just over 7.04 crore, the exercise has dramatically altered the state’s electoral landscape and introduced a new element of political uncertainty just as the campaign season begins.
Apart from the deletions, around 60.06 lakh additional names are under adjudication, indicating that the voter list remains in flux even as political parties gear up for the polls.
The churn has forced parties to reassess their booth-level arithmetic, particularly in districts where large numbers of deletions have been reported.
The deletions are also concentrated in several border districts and urban belts – areas that are electorally sensitive and politically contested.
Infiltration: When PM Narendra Modi, from a rally in the Muslim-majority bordering district of Malda on January 17, made infiltration the central plank of his offensive against the TMC government – alleging that large-scale illegal migration altered demography, fuelled riots, and thrived due to the ruling party’s “patronage and syndicate raj” – he left little doubt that the BJP would run its election campaigns with the ‘ghoospetiya’ issue in forefront.
Amid a charged pre-poll political atmosphere, fuelled vigorously by the controversial SIR “roll-cleansing” exercise, the saffron camp has left no stone unturned to justify the process in the name of identifying “Bangladeshis and Rohingyas” on this side of the border.
During one of his recent visits, Union home minister Amit Shah sharpened the BJP’s pitch on infiltration, declaring that while “only names of infiltrators are being deleted now” from voter rolls, they would be “pushed out” once the party comes to power in the state. He accused CM Mamata Banerjee of abetting infiltration for poll benefits.
The TMC, on the other hand, has called the process a politically motivated exercise devoid of truth and reality, which is aimed at targeting the Muslim citizens of the state.
Corruption: Allegations of corruption by the opposition parties against the TMC dispensation continue to dominate Bengal’s political landscape, with the school jobs scam taking centre stage.
The Supreme Court had, in April 2025, cancelled appointments of more than 25,000 candidates as teachers and staff recruited by the state School Service Commission due to irregularities found in the recruitment process.
Religion and Polarisation: As the campaign for the elections gathers momentum, political observers expect the contest to witness heightened communal rhetoric and identity-driven mobilisation, with religion emerging as a key undercurrent in the electoral narrative.
Bengal, where electoral discourse historically remained relatively insulated from overt communal politics, has gradually been drawn into sharper ideological contestation between the TMC and the BJP.
Both parties have accused each other of encouraging polarisation. The BJP alleges minority appeasement by the ruling party, while the TMC counters by accusing its rival of attempting to divide communities along religious lines.
Against this backdrop, the upcoming elections could witness a more pronounced communal divide in certain regions, particularly in districts with mixed demographic compositions.
Political analysts say the interplay between religious polarisation, the SIR-related voter churn and the anxieties of communities such as the Matuas could together shape the tone and trajectory of the campaign in the months ahead.
Law and order/ women’s safety: The issue of law and order, particularly those related to women’s safety, has emerged as a key political flashpoint in Bengal, drawing sharp reactions from both the ruling establishment and the opposition.
Official data cited by the government indicates that several initiatives, including dedicated women police stations, increased night patrolling and helplines, have been introduced to improve safety. However, incidents like the rape-murder of the medical intern at RG Kar hospital and the alleged gang rape of a student inside the South Calcutta Law College premises have led opposition parties to argue that incidents of assault, harassment and trafficking continue to spike in the state.
Of the 294-member Bengal assembly, the TMC in 2021 won 215 seats, up four seats from its tally of the 2016 edition of state polls, as against 77 seats won by the BJP, which improved its numbers by 74 seats.
Currently, following multiple defections, resignations and bypolls, the strength of the TMC in the assembly stands at 223 with support of one more MLA from the Darjeeling-based Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha. Suspended TMC leader Partha Chatterjee continues to remain an Independent MLA in the House.
The BJP’s numbers in the state assembly have currently reduced to 64, mostly on account of defections to the TMC. The Indian Secular Front and the newly formed Aam Janata Unnayan Party occupy one seat each. Three seats in the house remain vacant on account of deaths of sitting MLAs. PTI PNT SMY AMR SCH MNB
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