After Bihar Sweep, BJP Sets Sights On West Bengal: Strategy To Overcome ‘Outsider’ Tag And TMC’s Identity Politics
BJP shifts focus to West Bengal after its Bihar victory, preparing strategies to counter TMC’s Bengali identity politics and shed its “outsider” image.
With a decisive victory in Bihar, the BJP is now turning its full attention to West Bengal—its most coveted and challenging political goal. Although the party rose to become the main Opposition force five years ago, it has continued to face strong resistance from the Trinamool Congress, which has effectively used Bengali identity politics to counter the BJP’s mix of Hindutva narratives and development-driven promises.
The BJP leadership acknowledges that its biggest task in Bengal will be neutralising the TMC’s appeal to regional pride and distancing itself from the “outsider” label that significantly weakened its campaign in the 2021 Assembly elections. Despite the TMC’s advantage of having a powerful mass leader in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, BJP insiders say the party does not plan to announce a chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming polls.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that Bengal is the BJP’s next major battleground when, during his November 14 victory address after the Bihar results, he declared that the momentum from Bihar would propel the party toward a win in Bengal. Reassuring voters, he vowed that with enough public backing, the BJP would end what he termed “Jungle Raj” in the state.
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