KOLKATA: The Bharatiya Janata Party has dealt a sweeping blow to the TMC in eight constituencies in Bengal – a victory the scale of which underlines not only anti-incumbency forces but also the saffron party’s growing ability to turn social alliances, local discontent and organizational muscle into a decisive electoral machine.The most dramatic story came from East Midnapore, where the BJP swept all 16 seats, upending the 2021 TMC’s tally of nine seats.Across the Himalayan and sub-Himalayan belt – Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar – the saffron party holds sway. Despite its continuous efforts to restore the lost support among the tea garden areas and district communities, the TMC has failed to hold its ground.In Jhargram, the BJP won all four assembly seats, capturing a constituency that belonged entirely to the TMC in 2021. The BJP also won all nine seats in Purulia, another Kurmi-dominated district where anti-TMC sentiment is rife.Bankura follows the same script. The BJP won all 12 seats, an improvement over the 2021 elections, when it won eight seats.
