A look beyond welfarism: analysing the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in West Bengal, India

What is it about?

This viewpoint article analyses the results of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in West Bengal, India, which suggest that state issues and the overwhelming dominance of a regional party were significant electoral factors. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) secured a landslide victory due to a number of factors, including welfare schemes provided by the TMC-led state government, its incredibly strong party organisation at all levels of society, other parties’ organisational weakness to gather minority votes, and the BJP's failure to mobilise the Hindu vote bank, among others. Therefore, this viewpoint argues that the results of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in West Bengal can be viewed beyond, but not denying, the popularly accepted welfarism of the TMC.

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Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Why is it important?

While we acknowledge the importance of welfare populism, we also identify a series of other factors that had a bearing on voters’ behaviour. The first part of this viewpoint examines welfarism, politics of regional identity, and the parties’ organisational ability; the second section revisits the question of religious polarisation; and the third section addresses whether caste is a viable electoral force in West Bengal.

Perspectives