New Delhi (TIP)- They are the three biggest states in the Union that together send 170 parliamentarians to the 543-member Lok Sabha, roughly making up a third of the strength of the Lower House. Stretching from the north of the country to its western and eastern extremities, they’re a microcosm of the country’s political dynamics, representing its diversity of regions and religions, a complex web of caste and class politics, and a mind-boggling cornucopia of political personalities.
When the results streamed in on Tuesday, it was these three provinces — Uttar Pradesh (UP), Maharashtra and West Bengal — that dealt the biggest blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). In UP, the BJP dropped from 62 to 35, its worst showing since 2009; in Maharashtra, the party slipped from 23 to 12; and in Bengal, it declined from 18 to 10.
In total, the BJP won only 57 of the 170 seats on offer, almost half of its 2019 tally of 103. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 36 in UP, 19 in Maharashtra and 10 in Bengal — a total of 65, again roughly half of the 123 seats the alliance won in 2019.
In contrast, the Opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) posted superlative results in each of these three provinces as it got caste arithmetic and ticket selection right (UP), cashed in on the ground connect of its leaders and their welfare and organisational network (Bengal) and successfully pinned down the BJP on key local issues and questions of regional pride (Maharashtra).
INDIA’s tally ballooned from 42 in 2019 to 100 in 2024 in these states as each constituent of the bloc held its own against a BJP onslaught, skillfully countering the incumbent’s pitch on welfarism, communalism and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity with its own unique campaign focussed on local issues and charisma.
In UP, India’s most-populous state, the SP-Congress alliance stunned NDA by posting its best results in 15 years. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav focussed on expanding the caste base of his party beyond its traditional Yadav and Muslim communities as he nominated a large chunk of leaders from smaller groups of both other backward classes and scheduled castes — two demographics the BJP co-opted in its two victories in assembly elections in 2017 and 2022, and two Lok Sabha wins in 2014 and 2019. The SP’s approach to widen its caste coalition played huge dividends as it smashed through the BJP citadel in the old Mandal playground of eastern UP and picked up critical seats in central and western regions. The party, along with its ally Congress, spoke about unemployment among young people and raised fears of the BJP amending the Constitution if it came back with a two-thirds majority — drawing a sharp contrast from the BJP’s campaign rife with pitched communal rhetoric with Modi alleging that the Opposition would give reservations away to Muslims.
In Maharashtra, which saw two regional powerhouses split vertically in the past three years, the elections were uniquely complex with six major parties in the fray. Since no polls were conducted since the 2019 assembly elections, the 2024 Lok Sabha exercise was also a referendum on which faction of the Shiv Sena or the Nationalist Congress Party would inherit the legacy of the parent.
Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar went into the elections battling significant odds. Their Maha Vikas Aghadi government was toppled and the Election Commission awarded their rivals — Eknath Shinde’s faction and Ajit Pawar’s faction — the poll symbols and party names mere months before polls were called.
But the results clearly showed that the people had decisively backed the original leaders over their rivals. Out of 12 seats where the two Sena factions were pitted against each other, Thackeray won eight and Shinde won four. Sharad Pawar won both seats where his faction faced Ajit Pawar, including the prestige battle of pocket borough Baramati, where his daughter Supriya Sule defeated Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar.
The Congress, too, posted superlative results, winning back its old bastion of Vidarbha on the back of discontent among cultivators and anger in the hinterland over incomes. Especially in seats such as Nanded, where senior leader Ashok Chavan switched to the BJP ahead of the polls, the victory will give heart to a party that ruled Maharashtra in coalition with the NCP for 15 years.
“The results have changed the national scenario and Maharashtra has played a big role in this,” Sharad Pawar said. “The results in Uttar Pradesh had given a new direction to the INDIA alliance.”
And in West Bengal, where a fierce campaign unfolded with the BJP making a huge push to maximise seat count in a state where it has slowly but surely built a base, chief minister Mamata Banerjee held her own. Despite being hamstrung by two adverse high court orders — one that cancelled the appointment of 26,000 teachers and another cancelling OBC certificates awarded to 77 Muslim groups — Banerjee crafted a campaign that focussed on her unique connect with the state’s electorate, especially rural women and her expansive welfare net, including direct cash transfer schemes such as Lokhhir Bhandar. The BJP attempted to attack her directly and fanned communal rhetoric, hoping to cash in on anti-incumbency to break the TMC’s hold over south Bengal.
The results, however, showed that the TMC not only held its bastion of south Bengal but also damaged the BJP in the western regions of Jangalmahal and north Bengal. The BJP was locked in close fights even in seats such as Balurghat, held by its state chief Sukanta Majumder and lost Coochbehar, held by Union minister of state Nisith Pramanik. Banerjee’s charisma and local pitch helped her replicate her 2021 assembly triumph and better her 2019 showing.
Addressing a press conference, Banerjee said, “PM Modi has lost all credibility, he should immediately resign. India has won, Modi has lost.”
The story of the BJP’s inability to cross the 250 mark in terms of seats, is really the story of its failure in the three electorally most important states in the country.
Source: HT
Tag: Bengal
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UP, Bengal, Maharashtra: The three states that dealt the biggest blow to BJP
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Beautiful Bengal
West Bengal boasts of different ethnicities, cultures, religions, people and languages which add to its beautiful landscapes, forests, coastal beauty as well as its heritage.
The beautiful state of West Bengal attracts a significant number of tourists every year as the state is jewelled with mesmerising landscapes, snow-clad mountains, gushing sea, blossoming tea gardens, enormous deltas, lush green forests, plentiful wildlife, ancient temples and magnificent British monuments. The Tiger Hill, the Howrah Bridge, the Tea Gardens are some of the famous tourist spots which offer an insight into the vast culture and history of the West Bengal. The culture of the state is adorned by colourful fairs and festivals every month. A vast number of famous pilgrimages also attract a large number of tourists of all faiths and beliefs.
Places to Visit Kolkata
Kolkata, India’s second biggest city, is a perpetually ongoing festival of human existence, concurrently luxurious and squalid, refined and frantic, pointedly futuristic, while beautifully in decay. A vibrant 350-year-old metropolis located on India’s Eastern Coast, the capital of West Bengal thrives on contradictions and imposing spectacles; nothing is commonplace in this city. Famously known as the City of Joy, Kolkata is, in every sense, the artistic, cultural and intellectual capital of the country. Kolkata’s streets are vivid, hectic, chaotic, and yet, brimming with life and creativity. Driven by the indomitable spirit of the self-made middle class, the city has created a beautiful juxtaposition of the old colonial-era charm with the nascent upcoming hipster culture that thrives amongst the city’s millennial residents. Starting from admiring the flourishing art scene in the city to going on rewarding gastronomical explorations to wandering amidst the countless bazaars to sitting by the banks of the Hooghly and enjoying a peaceful sunset, Kolkata is soaked in layers and layers of heritage and culture, and peeling off each layer to look beneath the hood is a very rewarding, once-in-a-lifetime experience. As the famous quote goes, “If you want a city with a soul, come to Calcutta”.
Formerly the capital of the British empire before the government was shifted to Delhi, Kolkata has a distinct tinge of its royal past lingering in every nook and cranny of the city. If you want to soak in some of the city’s regal past, take a walk along the streets of North Kolkata, which houses some of the oldest mansions in the city, swathed with vines and a persistent sense of aristocratic pride. Kolkata is home to Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral house, which has now been converted into a museum and houses a staggering collection of family portraits and paintings. There are plenty of ghats all over the city where you can sit and enjoy a sunset while sipping on tea, one of the most noted of these being the Prinsep Ghat, which offers stunning views of the Vidyasagar Setu in the backdrop. Close by is Millennium Park, which is a beautified waterfront park from where you can avail boat rides and cruises.
Kolkata has a very lively nightlife, and the entire stretch along Park Street houses innumerable bars and pubs where you can party the night away. Kolkata’s street food is famous all across the country, and the city is lined with eateries and food stalls at every corner, where you can savour local Bengali food, or try out local snacks such as Jhalmuri, or Ghugni Chaat.
Darjeeling
Jaw-dropping locales, mesmerising sunrises, the untouched beauty of the hills, the old-world charm of the past, and the welcoming smiles of the local people all add up to make Darjeeling one of the most beautiful hill stations in Eastern part of India. Spread over a steep mountain ridge, nestled amidst acres of lush green tea plantations, Darjeeling stands at the height of 2,050 meters above sea level, thus boasting of cool climes all year round. This scenic hill station is the perfect getaway for a romantic honeymoon and is just around 700 kilometres away from Kolkata.
A respite from the hot and humid summers of India, Darjeeling is a popular tourist destination in North-East India. Providing a heady mixture of splendid tea gardens on rolling mountain slopes, meandering toy train rides through the picturesque city, and delectable traditional Tibetan cuisine, Darjeeling works wonders to cater to the gorgeous panorama of the Himalayas.
There is a reason the city is known as the ‘Queen of the Himalayas’. The lush green slopes dotted with women plucking tea leaves is a sight as mesmerising as no other. There are over 86 tea estates in Darjeeling that are responsible for producing the worldwide famous ‘Darjeeling Tea’. Have a cup of locally brewed chai at the tea estate, or get down amidst the plantations to pluck a few tea leaves yourself, you are free to take your pick!
Sundarbans
Known for hosting the biggest mangrove forests in the world, Sundarbans National Park is located in West Bengal, India. It is also a Tiger Reserve and a Biosphere reserve that provides a complete nature’s circle to the tourist right from ‘Royal Bengal tigers’ to roaring rivers and beautiful estuaries. Sundarbans National Park is a part of Sundarban delta that is covered with Mangrove Forest and the largest population of the Bengal Tigers. It is a UNESCO world heritage site with a large variety of birds and reptiles including salt-water crocodile.
Shared between India and Bangladesh, the Sundarbans meaning beautiful forest, have been declared a UNESCO heritage site. This area has a silent charm that manages to amaze one with the simplicity and naturalness of its ecological balance in spite of offering habitat to some of the most dynamic and awe-inspiring flora and fauna. They are in fact the last remaining stands of the mighty jungles which once covered the Gangetic plain and the sustainability of this natural structure is pretty majestic. Since 1966, the Sundarbans have been a wildlife sanctuary, and it is estimated that there are over 400 Royal Bengal Tigers and about 30, 000 spotted deer in the area.