Elections in India are spectacular – massive rallies, innovative slogans, songs, and more – lots of confusion, and colour. Election results are even more amazing – because they tell us exactly what the electorate thinks of the ruling class. So when 2 May rolled around and results for four states: Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and the union territory of Pondicherry, some things went as expected. For others, there were rude shocks in store. While Assam, TN and Puducherry went pretty much as expected, Kerala rejected BJP even more than expected. As for WB, the #KhelaHobe call to arms rang out across the state – and social media:
This was the slogan that captured the entire state’s imagination. I cannot pretend to understand anything much there, but the energy is quite incredible,
Google tells me that #KhelaHobe translates to खेलेंगे – let’s play or let the games begin, would be the rough translation.
West Bengal was a high stakes election and the ruling dispensation was desperate to win there it. The fact that they couldn’t even after giving it more than a 100%, has hurt some.
There are many literally dancing in joy. After the vicious campaign where the country’s Home Minister claimed he would ‘uproot’ a serving CM, massive rallies by the party’s top brass came to naught.
Party spokespersons and news media that favours the ruling party were at pains to point out that the BJP got only 3 seats in the last WB assembly elections, and got 77 this time around. However, there is no escaping the fact that Mamata Banerjee's Trinamul Congress won 213 seats by contrast.
Indians are very angry right now – on the one hand, they struggled to get medical attention for their loved ones, on the other they saw a callous central government in campaign mode. A lot of the tweeple greeted the news of BJP’s loss with some amount of schadenfreude.
This year, India has seen a high rate of growth --- in the PM’s beard and hair. Many thought that this was an attempt to look like Bengal’s own, the revered Rabindranath Tagore.
BJP had not only bought off several of TMC’s top leaders they had also managed to rope in some of Bengal’s most beloved stars, such as the self-proclaimed ‘cobra’ Mithun Chakraborty.
While some dismissed images of Banerjee in a wheelchair with her leg in a cast as just drama, this seems to have worked for her. She lost her own seat to a formidable rival and former colleague, but it is most certainly her win in the state.
The fact is that the BJP pulled out all the stops for this campaign: top leadership from the centre and states, a favourable Election Commission, ED raids on TMC and a huge propaganda machinery and literally endless funding. This makes Mamata Banerjee’s win even more significant.
Banerjee was seen as a lone warrior fighting this combined onslaught as well as anti-incumbency after ten years in power.
Banerjee is seen as tough and street smart; someone who takes on her opponents no matter where or who or how – rather like the woman in this video.
Narendra Modi’s jibes and his ‘Didi’ taunts seemed to have backfired. Bengalis obviously didn’t appreciate the mockery and the schoolyard bullying tactics targeting a woman.
Many also see this verdict as a state rejecting the politics of division and polarisation.
Some see the West Bengal verdict as a vindication of inclusive politics and an embrace of the diverse multicultural nation of India.
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