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    COVER STORY                                                               MAY 15, 2026     |  The Indian Eye                    5

            Actor-turned-politician Vijay convert-
            ed  cinematic  charisma  into  political
            capital, turning rallies into emotional
            mass  spectacles  dominated  by  youth
            participation,  social  media  mobili-
            sation  and  anti-establishment  mes-
            saging.  His  repeated  insistence  that
            he  was  an  “ordinary  human  being”
            helped  create  a  contrast  with  tradi-
            tional Dravidian power structures.
                Assam and Kerala reflected two
            opposing  organisational  models.  In
            Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma led a
            disciplined, centralised BJP campaign
            focused  on  continuity,  nationalism
            and welfare delivery. In Kerala, Con-
            gress  relied  on  collective  leadership,
            anti-incumbency  and  grassroots  mo-
            bilisation to regain lost political space.
                Together,  the  elections  showed
            that Indian campaigns are no longer
            driven by one national template. Each
            state  increasingly  demands  its  own
            emotional language, political symbols
            and regional narrative.
                    WEST BENGAL:
              BJP’s Historic Breakthrough

                  he BJP’s victory in West Bengal        Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after the swearing-in ceremony
                  is perhaps the most consequen-                          at Brigade Parade Ground, in Kolkata on Saturday. (ANI Photo)
            Ttial  political  development  of
            this election cycle.              organisational dominance across much   influential leader in the Northeast.  TAMIL NADU:
                After years of aggressive expan-  of  eastern  and  northeastern  India.  Sarma  thanked  Modi,  Union
            sion,  violent  political  confrontations   Equally  important  was  the  rise   Home  Minister  Amit  Shah  and  the   Vijay Ends
            and  repeated  electoral  setbacks,  the   of  Suvendu  Adhikari,  who  emerged   BJP  leadership  after  being  unani-  the Dravidian Duopoly
            BJP finally succeeded in dismantling   as the face of the BJP’s Bengal proj-  mously elected leader of the BJP and
            the  Trinamool  Congress’s  15-year   ect. His elevation reflects the party’s   NDA legislature parties.      hile  the  BJP  celebrated  in
            rule. Winning 207 seats, the party not   strategy  of  building  strong  regional   The Assam result underlines how   the east, southern India de-
            only formed its first-ever government   leadership  rather  than  relying  solely   successfully  the  BJP  has  reshaped  Wlivered a completely differ-
            in Bengal but also transformed one of   on Modi’s national appeal.  politics in the Northeast over the last   ent message.
            India’s  most  symbolically  important   Yet  the  victory  also  reveals  the   decade.  Once  peripheral  to  national   Tamil Nadu witnessed one of the
            states into a major BJP stronghold.  BJP’s transformation into a pan-Indi-  electoral  calculations,  the  region  is   most dramatic political transitions in its
                Prime  Minister  Narendra  Modi   an party capable of adapting regional   now firmly integrated into the BJP’s   modern history as actor-turned-politi-
            described the victory in deeply emo-  narratives  to  local  political  cultures.   political machinery.  cian C Joseph Vijay became Chief Min-
            tional terms, portraying it not merely   In Bengal, the BJP combined Bengali   The BJP’s dominance in Assam   ister, ending decades of political dom-
            as an electoral win but as a form of   identity politics with national security   rests  on  a  combination  of  welfare   inance  by  the  DMK  and  AIADMK.
            liberation.                       rhetoric and welfare messaging, effec-  politics,  aggressive  nationalism,  in-  Vijay’s  Tamilaga  Vettri  Kazhag-
                “I  have  witnessed  countless   tively challenging the Trinamool Con-  frastructure  expansion  and  identi-  am (TVK) won 108 seats and crossed
            election results in my time, but nev-  gress on multiple fronts.    ty-based  mobilisation  around  immi-  the majority mark with support from
            er  before  have  I  experienced  such   For  the  opposition,  Bengal  is  a   gration and citizenship issues. Sarma   Congress,  Left  parties  and  regional
            a  profound  impact  stemming  from   devastating setback. Mamata Baner-  has also cultivated a highly centralised   allies. The result effectively shattered
            an electoral outcome,” Modi said in   jee’s  aura  of  invincibility  has  been   and media-savvy leadership style that   Tamil Nadu’s long-standing two-party
            Jamnagar.                         broken,  and  the  Congress-Left  alli-  mirrors  the  BJP’s  broader  national   structure.
                The  BJP’s  Bengal  campaign  re-  ance  remains  politically  marginal  in   strategy.               The  victory  also  demonstrated
            lied  heavily  on  themes  of  political   the state.                   The  opposition’s  weakness  in   the continued power of cinema-driv-
            violence, governance fatigue and cul-         ASSAM:                Assam  further  exposed  Congress’s   en politics in Tamil Nadu, where film
            tural  nationalism.  Modi  repeatedly                               shrinking organisational strength out-  stars  have  historically  transitioned
            referred to the “anguish” felt across   BJP’s Northeastern Fortress  side  southern  India.  The  Congress   into mass political leaders. But Vijay’s
            India  over  Bengal’s  condition  and                               alliance managed only 19 seats, while   success  was  not  based  on  celebrity
            suggested  the  election  represented   f  Bengal  symbolised  expansion,   regional players such as AIUDF and   alone. His campaign combined youth
            the end of decades of decline.       Assam represented consolidation.   Raijor Dal remained fragmented.  mobilisation, anti-establishment rhet-
                “People have been liberated from  IThe BJP-led National Democratic   For the BJP, Assam now functions   oric and promises of “real, secular and
            massive shackles,” he declared.   Alliance  secured  a  third  consecutive   as both a political fortress and a gate-  social justice.”
                The  symbolism  matters  enor-  term in Assam, winning 102 seats in   way to the wider Northeast. Together   “This is the start of a new era of
            mously for the BJP. Bengal was long   the 126-member Assembly. Himanta   with  Bengal,  the  result  strengthens   real, secular and social justice,” Vijay
            considered one of the final barriers to   Biswa Sarma returned as Chief Min-  the party’s eastern corridor and gives   declared after taking oath.
            the party’s eastern expansion. The vic-  ister after a landslide victory that re-  it deeper territorial legitimacy outside   His  emotional  speeches  empha-
            tory now gives the BJP ideological and   affirmed his status as the BJP’s most   northern and western India.  Continued on next page... >>

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