The Future Ai

This West Bengal election has been remarkable for the unusual silence of a large section of the electorate, except for a voluble clamor for change from many among the urban, white-collar voters, which has lent it a touch of intrigue and made the in-between time from polling day to result day a battle of nerves for Trinamool Congress and BJP.

KOLKATA: Bengal’s voters will get to know today which way their neighbors voted as the result of a highly fractious seven-week electoral battle starts trickling in this morning.This election has been remarkable for the unusual silence of a large section of the electorate, except for a voluble clamor for change from many among the urban, white-collar voters, which has lent it a touch of intrigue and made the in-between time from polling day to result day a battle of nerves for Trinamool Congress and BJP.The 2026 poll season has also been unprecedented for two more reasons, one exclusionary and the other more participatory and inclusive.The exercise excluded more than 27 lakh voters because of the “logical discrepancy” clause introduced by the Election Commission in the SIR process only in Bengal. Children voted as their parents found themselves off the voters’ roll; and residents of many high-rise complexes could not vote and, instead, had to watch their neighbors vote within the complex itself as the EC, ironically, tried to boost turnout. All in all, the voters’ roll this time came down to 6.82 crore from 7.66 crore because of the logical discrepancy factor and the 58.2 lakh more “non-existent” voters (dead or absent or shifted).A victory in this poll may be “tainted” in that sense as the process has left out a large number of genuine voters.The other phenomenon was much more positive as those who were left on the roll made it a point to vote. Many were driven by a fear that their voting right might be taken away if they did not vote this time. But, whatever might have been the trigger, Bengal logged a record voter turnout of 92.94%, way more than the previous record of 81.5% (which came in 2011, when voters booted the Left Front out of office after 34 years).

Bike bans (overturned by Calcutta HC), a ban on liquor for nine-and-a-half days and an unprecedented commute crisis in Kolkata because of the unusually large number of passenger vehicles requisitioned for an unusually large number of security personnel also gave Kolkata a reminder of the Covid-era life.All this added to the fractious nature of the city’s political mood, which kept party leaderships guessing (notwithstanding their grandstanding from campaign days). PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah as well as Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and her number two, Abhishek Banerjee, have all spoken multiple times about their “200plus” confidence.

But the unprecedented voter turnout and the cross-currents created by the anti-incumbency mood among the more voluble section of the electorate (natural after a party has been in office for three terms) and the anti-SIR mood among another equally significant section have all made this poll season — and its endgame — much more unpredictable than all past seasons.State, central officials move HC over SIR fearsSIR deletions have not just robbed 27 lakh people of their voting right, but also sent many govt employees with names deleted into a frenzy. An assistant teacher, an AGM of a Maharatna unit, a medical professional and an insurance agent have moved Calcutta High Court fearing termination of service because of SIR deletions.The AGM produced 11 documents at an SIR hearing, but his name was still deleted. He later filed an appeal before a tribunal. He has moved HC seeking an order for an early hearing of his case by the tribunal. But the petition will be taken up after the polls.5th Kalighat OC transferred in 36 daysOC of Kalighat Police Station has been changed yet again, less than 24 hours after her appointment. This marks the fourth transfer — the fifth officer to be shifted — in just 36 days. Chameli Mukherjee, who replaced Gautam Das, has now been asked to continue as OC of Ultadanga Women’s Police Station, her previous posting.WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR THE MAIN PLAYERSMAMATA BANERJEE | This may be the most consequential poll, besides the 2011 assembly poll, in Mamata Banerjee’s checkered political career. Then, she was at the vanguard of an upbeat opposition whose ranks were swelling by the month; people were looking at her to deliver them from the 34-year-old Left Front regime. Now, she is the head of a party that has been in office for three terms and her supporters and opponents of the BJP brand of politics — both inside and outside Bengal — are again looking at her to stem the BJP’s seemingly unstoppable march across the country. The voter’s verdict this time will chart Bengal’s future as much as it does Banerjee’s.ABHISHEK BANERJEE | Abhishek Banerjee has proved himself a more-than-able lieutenant to the Bengal CM, shouldering much of the campaign responsibility along with the latter. He has, very deftly, stayed in his mentor’s shadow but — when the occasion has arisen — he has crept out of that shadow. Perhaps the best example came when he told an enthusiastic Trinamool audience that he was “not Mamata Banerjee” and exhorted attendees to give back more than they got if they were threatened with violence by the BJP. Banerjee Jr will have to shoulder a bigger responsibility irrespective of the result, with a Trinamool victory being a launch pad for a bigger role.NARENDRA MODI-AMIT SHAH | PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah have agreed this poll has as much significance — if not time — as any national election. Modi has been in and out of Bengal — and has promised to be back for the swearing-in of a BJP CM — and Shah has parked himself here for weeks, criss-crossing the state and giving the party’s rank-and-file a much-needed confidence-andcourage boost. A section of voters has been more receptive of what they have had to say this time. A win for the BJP will give them their ultimate crown — a state that is called the BJP’s final frontier — but a loss will expose them to some amount of ridicule for their failure despite putting in so much effort.SUVENDU ADHIKARI| Suvendu Adhikari has staked everything in this poll, giving back to Bengal CM Banerjee what she gave him in 2021. Not only has he fought from his home turf, Nandigram, but he has also dared to enter Banerjee’s lair, Bhowanipore, to set up another battle royale. He has put all his cards on the table. A win will bring him (Modi and Shah willing) that much closer to his ultimate aim — the Bengal CM’s chair — but a setback may prove crippling.Uncertain verdict, silent voters: Netas keep fingers crossedAbove all this has been the studied silence of a larger section of the electorate. Neighbors and mass transit commuters have refused to get drawn into politics talk with their neighbors and fellow commuters, probably indicating a high degree of difference of opinion and, again, the fractious nature of the electorate.Some issues have aligned with parties in a straightforward manner. The BJP was the only obvious choice for those seeking change from status quo. And the Trinamool was the only practical choice for those favoring the “Bangali” brand of Hinduism over the BJP’s brand of Hindutva.But many other issues may not have aligned with a particular party in such an easily identifiable manner. Take sir. Thousands more came back from other states this time to vote. Many, especially blue-collar service-sector workers in other states, identified an unfair process with the EC and, by extension, the BJP (the party at the Centre). But many others, especially those from the upper, upper-middle and middle classes having white-collar jobs, may not have done so; for them, each journey back to Bengal makes them yearn even more longingly for a job as highpaying as they now have but in the comfort of their own state. Most of these votes would not be for status quo extension.All these cross-currents have made even geography-wise predictions difficult. Yes, North Bengal would be the BJP’s to lose; it has drawn much of its strength in the assembly from Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur and pockets of East Midnapore, Nadia and North 24 Parganas. And the Trinamool, besides winning a significant chunk of seats from these 10 districts, has depended on the remaining 13 districts for its heft in Bengal politics. But SIR made things difficult for the BJP in some of its strongholds. And the anti-incumbency mood, likewise, made things more difficult for the Trinamool even in some of its strongholds, underscoring the complexity of how Bengal may have voted on April 23 and 29.But, regardless of these deep fissures between different sections of the electorate, voters — on either side of the divide — would be wishing for a mandate that is easier to read. A mandate less fractious than the factors leading to the mandate would suit Bengal just fine.