Will Bengal see a repeat of the 'unique developments' witnessed during 2019 LS polls?

Kolkata, March 15 (IANS) The 2019 Lok Sabha elections saw too many 'unique developments' in West Bengal, which was not the case in the previous polls.

The first was in the results, which virtually marked the beginning of the emergence of the BJP as the principal opposition force in the state, replacing the CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Congress to a large extent.

In 2019, the BJP ended up winning 18 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, marking a big jump from its tally of 2 seats in 2014, and a single seat in 2009.

Besides the impressive tally, what was more noticeable was the sharp penetration of the BJP in the rural pockets of the state, which have a sizeable backward class and tribal population.

A dedicated vote bank for the CPI(M)-led Left Front for nearly three decades, these areas started strengthening the base for the Trinamool Congress since 2009, when for the first time signs of the collapse of the Red fort in West Bengal started to become evident.

Another major development in the 2019 elections was the Left drawing a blank in West Bengal for the first time since Independence. While Congress somehow saved its face to some extent by winning two seats, the Trinamool Congress ended with 22 seats, 12 less than its 2014 tally of 34.

However, this time the BJP’s central leadership is hopeful of increasing its tally further in West Bengal, with some surveys already making projections on similar lines.

Incidentally, a day before the announcement of election results in 2019, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had claimed "42 out of 42" seats for the Trinamool.

Probably having learnt a lesson from the 2019 results, the Trinamool leadership, including the Chief Minister, has refrained from announcing any figures in its favour so far this time.

The 2019 elections were also unique in terms of different poll-related arrangements.

The state had voted in all seven phases last time, just like Uttar Pradesh which has far more Lok Sabha seats (80) as compared to West Bengal (42).

Sensing that the number of phases will be the same this time as well, if not more, the Trinamool leadership has already started raising demands for holding single-phase polls in the state.

In 2019, a total of 350 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were deployed in West Bengal, much higher than the previous two elections.

This time, the Election Commission of India has already announced the deployment of 920 companies of CAPF, the highest among all Indian states. Interestingly, the deployment of CAPF in 2019 in West Bengal started only after the poll dates were announced and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force.

However, this time the deployment started much before the election dates were announced. Already, 150 companies of CAPF have been deployed in West Bengal with the announcement of poll dates scheduled on Saturday.

The Trinamool has also raised objections to the early deployment of CAPF in the state. According to the ruling party, the CAPF personnel deployed in advance are occupying several educational institutions, affecting the academic process there.