The first-time voters appearing for their Higher Secondary exams this year, or those on the verge of graduation, have grown up seeing only the Modi and Mamata governments. They have come of age amidst corruption, the reign of miscreants, Hindu-Muslim hatred, communal violence, rape, unemployment, crumbling state schools and hospitals, despair, precarious low-income jobs, and a widening chasm between the rich and the poor. This generation has never had the opportunity to witness a Left-wing government. Instead, they find deprivation, poverty, and frustration to be their constant companions. In village after village, children aged 13 or 14 years are dropping out of school to become migrant labourers. In cities, even highly educated middle-class youths are forced to flee to other states or abroad in search of work. There are no jobs in the state. Interest in education is waning. Poor and lower-income families cannot afford private education. "Work" today means driving a Toto, delivering parcels, or selling "Dear Lottery" tickets. Not a single factory has been built. Both Modi and Mamata have left government vacancies unfilled. Farming costs have soared while crop prices remain stagnant. Prices of essentials are skyrocketing. People clinging to trickle-down work earn an average of only Rs 11,000. Incomes range from Rs 4,000 to a maximum of Rs 15,000 per month for jobs that are temporary and lack any security. The wages for daily wagers and skilled labourers in states like Kerala are more than double those in Bengal.

The Election Issues

Matters of life and livelihood are not the central issues in the state elections. With the help of "paid media," both ruling parties seek votes by inciting tension over temples and mosques, exploiting religion, and fueling Hindu-Muslim division. No one talks about "Development" or "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" anymore. Since it is now an established truth that every promise was a Jumla (falsehood), even they have lost interest in such slogans. As elections approach, the BJP is desperate to incite riots by any means, while the TMC provides the necessary assistance. There is a calculated arithmetic of division. "Poll companies" have already determined the number of seats and specific constituencies based on this logic. These companies decide where to field strong or weak candidates and the extent of campaigning required. Everyone is now performing their roles in a script written by the RSS and directed by poll companies.

The Electoral Calculus

The BJP continues to chant "70-30" like a multiplication table. Labeling them "infiltrators," they have placed 60 lakh voters under scrutiny (SIR/disputed status) and excluded 8 lakh from the lists. The majority of these are poor, working-class people. While many Matuas and Hindus have also been excluded, the majority are Muslims. This directly benefits the BJP’s electoral arithmetic while simultaneously creating division. Those excluded—who cannot vote or face harassment—and their families will, in most cases, vote against the BJP out of intense grievance.

Since 2019, the two parties, the two governments, and the media houses have restricted the election to just two players. This is "binary politics," centered on religious polarisation. Undoubtedly, many people—influenced by the propaganda of the RSS, the two parties, and the media—believed that the BJP could bring about a change in government to end the injustices and incompetence of the current state regime, rather than voting on religious grounds.

The Leftist Perspective

To truly defeat the TMC, one must step out of the trap of religion-based voting and two-party politics. The BJP has been in power for 12 years and the TMC for 15. Both governments are responsible for draining Bengal’s resources. Education, employment, health, agriculture, industry, wages, and security—Bengal has lost everything and is now in grave peril. Another five years in their hands means the absolute destruction of your family’s and children’s future. To save Bengal from the brink of collapse, the Left is the only hope.

What is the secret behind the TMC’s victories? Everyone is looking for an answer to this riddle. Since the 2016 Assembly elections, the media began campaigning that the Left was finished and the battle was only between the TMC and the BJP. Why the BJP? In the 2016 elections, the BJP secured only 10 per cent of the votes. The Left-Congress alliance secured 38.6 per cent, while the TMC got 45.6 per cent—a gap of 7 percentage points. It was evident that the TMC could not have returned to power in 2021. The conspiracy to protect the TMC government by using the BJP to split the Leftist vote began that very day.

Who is the "Vote-Cutter"?

The BJP claims that the TMC wins because of the Left, so they urge people not to vote for the Left. But consider this: the history of the Left in Bengal is long, predating Independence. Before the 34-year Left Front government, they led two United Front governments. The Left has always been the companion of the working-class labourer, the farmer, the middle class, and the marginalised in their struggle for livelihood. Despite all efforts, the Left cannot be erased.

The BJP is a sudden arrival—a party without history, roots, or an organisation, driven entirely by the media. They do not know Bengal. They entered Bengal by holding the TMC’s hand in an earlier alliance. Jyoti Basu used to say that Mamata’s greatest crime was bringing the BJP into Bengal. Former allies TMC and the BJP have, for several years, divided the people through religious polarisation and a scripted "mock war," helping each other in the process. Their common goal is to keep the Left away from power.

BJP Can Help TMC Win, but Defeating it is Impossible

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP led in 121 assembly segments, while the TMC led in 164. In 2021, the BJP’s slogan was "Unishe Half, Ekushe Saaf" (Half in '19, Finished in '21). Instead, the BJP dropped from 121 to 77 seats. Despite rampant corruption and crime, the TMC’s seat count rose from 164 to 213.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, people were once again confused by intense religious polarisation and the staged drama between the two parties. This time, the BJP dropped from 18 seats to 12, while the TMC increased its tally from 22 to 29.

Why Can't the BJP Succeed?

Whatever gains the BJP hoped to make by excluding names from the SIR (voter list), the damage caused has been far greater. Those excluded or under scrutiny, along with their families, number at least 1.5 to 2 crore voters. Not all of them are Muslims; they include many Matuas, refugees, Scheduled Castes, Tribes, Adivasis, women, and marginalised sections. They are desperate to defeat the BJP.

The more intense the Hindu-Muslim divide and the more the BJP blusters, the more the minority community unites out of fear. A section of secular, staunchly anti-BJP voters may then align with the TMC’s own core vote and those receiving government allowances. In reality, the BJP acts specifically so that the TMC can consolidate these votes.

Does the BJP Really Want to Oust the TMC?

If the TMC is not removed, Bengal will be completely destroyed. Opportunities for education and work have virtually ended. Degrees have no value here. Wage rates are measly compared to other states. The future of the youth has been ruined. The public healthcare system has become a den of corruption, murder, and rape. The TMC has injected corruption and crime into the very marrow of the government and society. Limitless injustices are occurring through a nexus of the government, miscreants, bureaucrats, and the police. In this "paradise for criminals," women’s safety and security have vanished. Democracy has been decimated, and a "Mafia Raj" has been established.

Despite such atrocities, the corrupt and the criminal continue to rule. Courtesy of CBI-ED investigations, many involved in horrific corruption cases have been left untouched and are contesting elections. Even in the "rarest of rare" RG Kar murder and rape case, the CBI surprisingly validated the Kolkata Police’s investigation, effectively closing the matter. When the "nephew’s" wife was caught at the airport with gold, central forces respectfully released the accused along with the luggage. Forget touching the "Sahib" (Master) of Kalighat-er Kaku; the ED-CBI hasn't even mentioned his name despite grave allegations.

When the minority community begins to distance itself from the TMC, the BJP creates an atmosphere of fear by harassing Bengalis in BJP-ruled states or excluding a vast number of minority voters from the SIR. The TMC reaps the full benefit of this. Without the TMC, the politics of religious polarisation cannot survive, the two-party system will collapse, and the BJP will cease to exist. Similarly, without the BJP, the TMC would not receive the sheer volume of Muslim and secular votes it currently enjoys. They are each other's lifeblood.

The "Dead Cries" of the Two Flowers

Although both "flowers" (Lotus and Grass-flower) talk about forming a government, they have both been complaining recently. They claim the Left is ruining their prospects. The BJP says it cannot win because the Left is gaining votes; now, the Chief Minister says the same—urging people not to vote for those who cannot win. The BJP says everyone must unite behind them to defeat the TMC, while the TMC says everyone, Right and Left, must unite against the BJP. Like children, both are demanding that no one else should fight; they want the "game" to be limited to just the two of them. Despite controlling two governments, having vast wealth and the entire media at their disposal, they cannot trust their own strength. Both are terrified of the Left's growing power. The campaign of these two parties makes it clear that the 2026 election is not about them—it is becoming an election for the Left.

How, then, will Change Happen?

We must break the trap of two-party politics. Religion must not be allowed to become a political weapon. The contest must be made three-way. Without hesitation, to save a state on the brink of collapse, you must elect and send your tested friends—the Left—to the Assembly. What is impossible for the BJP precisely because of the BJP, will become possible if you support the Left.

Due to constant media propaganda, some think the Left lacks strength and a vote for them is a "wasted" vote. How do we judge strength? The moon’s enchanting light is not its own; it comes from the sun. A political party’s true strength lies in its workers and supporters. By that standard, consider this: even after 15 years out of power, facing murder, terror, atrocities, and false cases, the Left can still gather millions of people. The BJP, despite being in power, having media support, and spending vast sums, cannot even fill a fraction of the Brigade Ground with chairs. The TMC avoids the Brigade and holds meetings at Dharmatala. During the SIR crisis, you won't find five people anywhere in the state whom the BJP helped to fill out forms. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Left arranged oxygen and risked their lives to save patients—the other two parties did not. In truth, people are the strength of a political party. As Jyoti Basu used to say, "The people write history." Because those people stood by the Left for 34 years, they ran everything from Panchayats to the Government; people said the Left was strong. In 2011, when a large section of the people moved towards the TMC, the government became theirs and they became strong. When some people went to the BJP, they gained a few MLAs and MPs. Today, if you decide to reject the thieves and the rioters and vote for the Left, then in May 2026, everyone will say: the strength belongs to the Left.