As West Bengal moves towards the 2026 Assembly elections scheduled for 23 and 29 April, a key political message emerging from opposition parties is that the BJP’s governance model elsewhere in India has disproportionately hurt the poor — and that Bengal could be next.

The debate has sharpened around what critics describe as the BJP’s “bulldozer politics”, a reference to demolition drives in BJP-ruled states that have often targeted informal housing, small shops, and working-class neighbourhoods.

People in Kolkata still point to the relative affordability of daily essentials. A cup of tea is available for as little as Rs 3, and subsidised schemes such as Maa Canteen offer meals at prices ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 30. This contrast is often invoked politically to argue that the state has prioritised welfare over aggressive eviction drives.

However, BJP leaders campaigning in Bengal have increasingly invoked the imagery of the bulldozer as a symbol of administrative toughness. In Hooghly and Howrah, Bengal BJP leaders including former MP Locket Chatterjee have posed with bulldozers, promising to “bulldoze TMC corruption”, while campaign messaging has projected the arrival of a 'Bulldozer Sarkar' in the state.

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