CHANGING POLITICAL BEHAVIOR OF THE ELECTORATE IN WEST BENGAL (2011–2016): A STUDY OF ELECTORAL TRENDS AND POLITICAL REALIGNMENT
How to Cite : Ananta Kumar Besra (2018). Changing Political Behavior of the Electorate in West Bengal (2011–2016): A Study of Electoral Trends and Political Realignment. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Reviews, Vol.2018, no1, pp. 14-23.
Abstract
Because of its long history of competitive party politics, ideological mobilization, robust grassroots organization, and high voter turnout, West Bengal has historically been one of India's most politically significant states. The 2011 and 2016 Assembly elections were a significant turning point in the state's political development. The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC/TMC), led by Mamata Banerjee, won the 2011 election, ending the Left Front's unbroken 34-year hegemony. The 2016 election showed that the political shift started in 2011 had evolved into a major electoral realignment trend rather than just an anti-incumbency incident. By analyzing electoral trends, party competitiveness, voter preferences, leadership, development, welfare, political identity, and the shifting social bases of political parties, this article investigates the shifting political behaviour of the West Bengali electorate between 2011 and 2016. The electoral Commission of India data, academic literature, books, journal articles, and electoral studies are among the secondary sources on which the study is mostly based. According to the report, there was a shift at this time from a party structure that was mostly cantered on the Left to one that was cantered on the TMC. Organizational weariness, shifting societal norms, disputes over industrialization and land acquisition, and the failure to adequately address anti-incumbency sentiment were all linked to the Left's decline. At the same time, the TMC successfully combined leadership-centred politics, anti-Left mobilisation, welfareoriented governance and grassroots political organisation. The 2016 election further confirmed the consolidation of this realignment, although the rise of the BJP as an emerging political force indicated the beginning of another transformation in the state's electoral politics.
