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COVER STORY MARCH 27, 2026 | The Indian Eye 4

FIVE-STATE POLLS

POLITICS

HEATS UP

From sharp rhetoric to shifting alliances, India’s political battleground is intensifying
across five key states ahead of crucial assembly elections

OUR BUREAU

Kolkata / New Delhi/ Guwahati / Chennai
ith less than a month to
go before voting begins,
Wthe political tempera-
ture across five states—West Ben-
gal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala
and Puducherry—has risen sharply,
setting the stage for a high-stakes
electoral contest that could reshape
regional and national political equa-
tions. With voting scheduled between
April 9 and April 29 and counting on
May 4, parties are ramping up cam-
paigns, unveiling welfare-heavy mani-
festos, forging alliances, and sharpen-
ing ideological attacks.
At the heart of the political
churn lies a mix of local issues and
national narratives, with each state
offering a distinct contest even as
broader themes—governance, iden- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP National President Nitin Nabin, and others at the
tity, welfare, and federalism—cut
across regions. Central Election Committee meeting of the BJP at the BJP headquarters, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI Photo/Jitender Gupta)
Bengal: Welfare vs Political expansion of the ‘Lakshmi Bhandar’ seats. The repeat contest between ernance achievements. His remark
Polarization scheme, which offers monthly finan- Banerjee and BJP leader Suvendu about bringing “every Hindu person
n West Bengal, Chief Minister cial assistance to women and unem- Adhikari adds a personal and sym- in the fold of the BJP” signals a con-
Mamata Banerjee has launched ployed youth. bolic dimension to the battle. tinued emphasis on identity politics.
Ian aggressive campaign to retain Banerjee also raised concerns Assam: Identity and The BJP-led alliance, which won
power for a fourth consecutive term. about alleged attempts to destabi- Consolidation 75 seats in 2021, is aiming for a third
Unveiling the Trinamool Congress lize the state through “money and consecutive term. On the other hand,
manifesto, she positioned her party arms” from across borders, warning n Assam, the election is shaping the Congress is attempting to rebuild
as the sole protector of Bengal’s iden- of efforts to impose indirect Presi- up as a direct contest between the its base, though it faces the challenge
tity while launching a sharp attack on dent’s Rule. This narrative reflects IBJP-led NDA and the Congress. of countering both organizational
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. a familiar electoral strategy in Ben- Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma strength and narrative dominance of
“Instead of ‘Sabka Vikas’, they gal—framing the contest as one be- has framed the election around iden- the ruling coalition.
have done ‘Sabka Vinash’,” Banerjee tween regional autonomy and central tity and development, declaring: “We Interestingly, the Trinamool
said, accusing the Centre of under- interference. want to secure identity of Assam. We Congress has also entered the Assam
mining welfare and social harmony. The stakes remain high. In 2021, want to have faster development.” fray, naming Banerjee among its 18-
Her pitch blends populist schemes the Trinamool Congress secured a Sarma’s campaign reflects a star campaigners, indicating an at-
with administrative promises, includ- dominant 215 seats in the 294-mem- broader BJP strategy of consolidat- tempt to expand beyond Bengal and
ing the rollout of ‘Duare Chikitsa’—a ber assembly, while the BJP emerged ing support along cultural and reli- disrupt traditional political equations.
doorstep healthcare initiative—and as the principal opposition with 77 gious lines while highlighting gov- Continued on next page... >>

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