The electoral victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal marks not merely a political transition but the beginning of what could become one of the most arduous economic reconstruction tests faced by any Indian state in recent decades. For a party that has spent years criticising the decline of Bengal’s economy, the challenge now is no longer rhetorical but rather a Herculean task to prove that the “double engine” government can bring quick results.

Bengal was once the industrial heartland of the subcontinent. At the time of India’s independence, it ranked among India’s richest provinces. Kolkata, the second city of the Commonwealth, served as Asia’s nerve centre of commerce, finance, shipping, and manufacturing. Today the state stands far removed from that vaulted position and in dire need for course correction. The new government inherits not simply an economy requiring regeneration but a society seeking renewal of its unique position after decades of relative industrial stagnation, if not outright decline.

The task before the BJP government is, therefore, larger than winning investment summits or announcing industrial parks. It must convince Bengalis that economic decline is reversible.

The encouraging aspect for the new administration is that Delhi appears prepared to back this project with unusual enthusiasm. Discussions within central ministries and NITI Aayog suggest that a long-term reindustrialisation strategy is already being shaped. Such planning reflects a growing recognition within the Union government that Bengal’s revival is not merely a state issue or a political issue but also a matter of national economic imperative.

Geography alone explains why India needs to wake up and unlock the Eastern state’s potential.

Bengal sits at the gateway to Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Southeast Asia, as also to East Asia. As India seeks deeper economic engagement with East and Southeast Asia, Kolkata should logically emerge as a major commercial hub. However, this strategic advantage has remained underutilised for decades.

The first task before the BJP government will, therefore, be to transform geography into an economic advantage. This means accelerating improvements in logistics and connectivity. Expansion of........

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