Mamata

In the West Bengal election of 2021, the longest state election in the history of India, Mamata Banerjee won the khela, and the BJP lost the plot. How did this happen? The author, Jayanta Ghosal, travelled to all the districts of West Bengal and unearthed certain key factors that helped the Trinamool win the state. For instance, there was a massive gap in the BJP''s understanding of Bengali identity, which Mamata was able to exploit. An ''overdose'' of central intervention, ranging from paramilitary forces to intelligence agencies to target key TMC leaders, added to the BJP''s disconnect with voters. Increasingly, the state felt the divide between New Delhi and Bengal grow.