Bengal's existence at stake: TMC's Firhad Hakim kicks off campaign

TMC minister Firhad Hakim began an election campaign from Mamata Banerjee's Bhawanipur constituency, alleging that the BJP, if voted to power, will oppress Bengalis and that the very existence of Bengal is at stake.

Ahead of the announcement by the Election Commission of India on the schedule for Legislative Assembly polls in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress Minister and Mayor of Kolkata, Firhad Hakim on Sunday began an election campaign from the Bhawanipur Assembly constituency. The constituency is represented by the state Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee.

'Existence of Bengal is at stake'

During the campaign, Hakim alleged that the BJP if voted to power will allegedly oppress the Bengali community in the State, loot the state's resources and said that the very existence of Bengal is at stake. "BJP is coming here to oppress; it is coming to loot the state. Bengalis will be oppressed. Accounts will be settled, one by one. We tell our people that we must stand together, for we have to win back Bengal. We must make Mamata Di the Chief Minister once again, because today, the very existence of Bengal is at stake," declared Hakim.

West Bengal Electoral Landscape

In West Bengal, the Legislative Assembly consists of 294 seats, with the primary contest expected to be between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, has been in power in the state since 2011.

2016 Assembly Election

In the 2016 Assembly election in West Bengal, the state recorded a voter turnout of 82.2%. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) secured a decisive victory, winning 211 of the 294 seats with a 45.6% vote share. The Indian National Congress and the CPI(M) secured 44 and 26 seats respectively, with vote shares of 12.4% and 20.1%. In contrast, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured only 3 seats, garnering 10.3% of the total vote share.

2021 Assembly Election

However, in the 2021 state Assembly elections, despite a high voter turnout of 84.7%, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) retained power, though it saw a slight dip in its total seat count, winning 213 seats with 48.5% of the vote share. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saw a significant improvement in its performance, jumping from three seats in 2016 to 77 seats with 38.5% of the vote share. Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress witnessed a sharp decline, winning only one seat with 1.6% of the vote share.

The Forthcoming Contest

In the forthcoming Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress will look to defend its fortress against the Bharatiya Janata Party, which would want to secure a victory after winning 77 seats in the last elections. (ANI)

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