We have already seen how things are heating up in West Bengal. BJP began its preparation earlier than any other party, keeping in mind the importance of West Bengal for New Delhi. Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has flown down many times, Home Minister Amit Shah alongwith BJP National President JP Nadda have made regular visits to the state. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan have also made special visits to the poll-bound state.
What Narendra Modi and BJP High Command never takes lightly is their Politics. The dots of all these visits all connect to the big strategic picture for New Delhi. When we look at Nepal, it has engulfed itself in Pro and anti-Communist ideologies, leading to internal chaos. Myanmar has just faced a coup wherein military has taken back the controls from the democratic setup. Sri Lanka has developed closer ties to Pakistan and China on various investment fronts. India seems to face a neighbor’s turmoil although New Delhi has tried its best to engage each partner through its vaccine diplomacy.
The change in White House has triggered concerns over India’s eastern borders. Given the track record of Democrats raising their voices for Human Rights and fresh sanctions imposed by President Biden on Myanmar Military, the issue of migration can worsen. Washington has come out all open to blame Beijing for the instability in Myanmar, sending signals that Cold War 2.0 can well be under development. Any further coercive action from Washington may trigger a migrant crisis along India’s eastern borders. With prior experiences of Rohingya crisis and CAA already in the pipeline, BJP needs proper hold over Assam and West Bengal, now more than ever.
No political party seems to have the edge at this point of time. Sitting CM Mamata Banerjee led TMC is definitely under the pump. The recent association with RJD shows that pre-poll alliances are showing up clear signals. BJP is going in single-handedly. On the other hand, INC, CPI(M) and ISF have shared stage stirring controversies within INC setup. It won’t come as a surprise if arch rivals TMC and CPI(M) join hands post results to stop BJP from staking the claim over Kolkata. On one hand, BJP is taking it as the most important state to win out of the five going to polls this year. On the other hand, every other party looks desperate to shake hands to deny Narendra Modi any momentum before 2024 General Elections.
