Modi's Party Wins Big in West Bengal, Raising Questions About Indian Democracy
Nadim Asrar
For the first time in 46 years, the BJP under Narendra Modi won West Bengal, a historic victory that underscores the party's expanding influence. The result, however, has sparked debates over electoral fairness and religious polarization, with the Election Commission accused of bias and Muslims disproportionately affected by voter roll purges.
For the first time in 46 years, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi won the state of West Bengal—seen as the party's most significant victory since 2014, when Modi took office. The result was part of April's legislative assembly elections in five states and union territories, including Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry.
The BJP retained Assam for a third consecutive term, while an alliance it belonged to also returned to power in Puducherry. In Tamil Nadu, another film star emerged in the state's long tradition: actor Joseph Vijay broke the dominance of the two main parties with a young political organization and is poised to become the next chief minister. In Kerala, the communist government lost to a Congress-led alliance—a familiar electoral cycle—also marking the first time in 50 years that the left has not controlled any state in India.
However, the result in West Bengal was the biggest highlight. This state is where India's colonial story began after the Battle of Plassey in the mid-18th century. About 150 years later, the British partitioned Bengal in 1905—the first modern religious divide in South Asia. Though reversed in 1911, the event spurred new political consciousness and produced many Hindu nationalist figures, notably Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, founder of the BJP's predecessor. Speaking to party members Monday evening, Modi said the West Bengal victory "will bring peace to his soul."
West Bengal has long been known for its complex tradition of religious harmony. The state elected a communist government in 1977 and held power for 34 years before Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) took over in 2011. During the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 or after the destruction of the Babri mosque in 1992, West Bengal remained peaceful. The big question: can this sense of community exceptionalism and harmony survive under a BJP government?
With nearly 100 million people, 27% Muslim, West Bengal saw the BJP win 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, reducing the TMC to 80 seats—a stunning rise for a party that had only 3 seats a decade ago. Modi called it a "historic victory," promising "politics of good governance." However, the Election Commission of India (ECI) faced sharp criticism over alleged interference, especially the removal of 2.7 million voters from electoral rolls in West Bengal. Analysis suggests Muslims were disproportionately affected. Political commentator Yogendra Yadav calculated that removing 2.7 million votes equaled 4.3% of the vote share, while the BJP led the TMC by only about 5%. "The unavoidable question: if these 27 lakh people had voted, how would the result change?" he wrote. Banerjee, who unexpectedly lost her seat, accused the BJP of "stealing over 100 seats" and called the ECI a "BJP committee."
The BJP's election strategy in West Bengal followed a familiar pattern: stirring anti-Muslim sentiment. Party leaders, including Modi, accused Muslims of being "Bangladeshi infiltrators," calling on Hindus to unite to expel "illegal immigrants." Neighboring Assam shows what may await West Bengal. With a third of the population Muslim, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma waged anti-Muslim campaigns, including expulsions, house demolitions, and a controversial electoral redivision that sharply reduced Muslim influence. Of 19 opposition MPs who won in Assam, 18 were Muslim—a sign of religious polarization. Sarma vowed to "break the backbone" of "illegal Bangladeshi Muslims" and pledged to implement a Uniform Civil Code.
Beyond West Bengal, Tamil Nadu saw a surprise when actor Vijay defeated the ruling alliance, winning 108 seats, breaking the decades-long dominance of the two Dravidian parties. However, he fell 10 seats short of a majority and needs an ally. In Kerala, the communist government lost to a Congress-led alliance, where Muslims held a quarter of the seats. Although the BJP did not win big in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, its vote share increased.
With this result, the BJP now controls or is part of ruling alliances in 21 of 28 states, covering nearly 80% of the 1.4 billion population—an unprecedented phenomenon since the 1960s when the Congress party was at its peak. The BJP is also the world's richest political party, with total income of $712 million, compared to Congress's $96 million. This victory cements Modi's position in his third term, but also raises serious questions: Is India becoming more authoritarian? Is it moving toward single-party dominance? And are elections in the world's largest democracy still fair?
