Topic: West Bengal elections

Ahead of the West Bengal elections on 23 April and 29 April, the BJP announced financial aid for different sections, such as women, unemployed youth & fishermen.

It was Siddhartha Shankar Ray who had first taken notice of an adolescent Mamata Banerjee during a youth congress rally. Ray stopped his car and got out to hear her speak.

The TMC has positioned itself as the representative of Bengaliness ahead of the West Bengal elections, ready to defend Bengali pride in the face of an onslaught by bohiragotos of the BJP. The TMC has positioned itself as the representative of Bengaliness ahead of the West Bengal elections, ready to defend Bengali pride in the face of an onslaught by bohiragotos of the BJP.

ThePrint view on the most important issues.

Success is sexy, and Dhurandhar’s Jameel Mamu and influencer Pujarini Pradhan have just tasted it.

For Hindu nationalists, the size of the Muslim electorate lends extraordinary significance to Bengal. It's one of the biggest prizes for the BJP’s ideological project.

A relentless, almost monolithic narrative plays out in the mainstream media: Bengal as 'lawless,' Bengal as 'violent,' Bengal as 'unstable.' Every incident is amplified.

The stereotype of the fish-loving Bengali has now become a contested political site and both the BJP and TMC know it. And the voters do too.

ThePrint view on the most important issues.

The scenarios in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry should explain why the BJP is so focused on West Bengal.