West Bengal has been described by ruling Trinamool as “the sweetest part of India”. It is inarguably a fitting epithet for a state which boasts some of the best desserts in the entire country – namely the delectable “roshogolla” – that spongy ball of cottage cheese marinated in sugar syrup which have often inspired rhymes and poems. Moreover, its people, language, culture, etc. are supposed to exude a kind of sophisticated, well, “sweetness”. But currently the region is gripped in the throes of a bitter battle as political parties fighting it out in the ongoing Assembly Elections 2026.

Being held in two phases, the first phase saw 152 constituencies go to the polls on Thursday, April 23. The next phase will take place on Wednesday, April 29. The results are scheduled to be declared on May 4. The first day of polling witnessed a voter turnout of over 91 percent. While the Election Commission (EC) has called it an almost unprecedented success, political commentators and election officers are attributing it chiefly to the intensive nature of the recently conducted SIR 2026 (Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls). “Unlike other election years, this year the SIR process entailed that the electorate get involved in a highly intensive exercise in terms of documentation, etc.” says Sudipt Banerjee, a BLO (booth level officer).

Congress leader and former Member of Parliament Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, told this correspondent in an interview, “The SIR process introduced a sense of urgency in the electorate which is seeing the SIR as a kind of proof of citizenship rather than only an electorate roll. So casting their vote and exercising their franchise has become very important for them this election.” The question that is raging across the state currently and is the topic of discussion everywhere from rural vegetable markets to urban living rooms is whether Trinamool will be able to retain power or whether chief contender BJP would be able to snatch it from them.

“In my over four decades of covering politics in India and West Bengal, I have never seen the kind of aggression that the Opposition, namely BJP is demonstrating in trying to wrest power in the state,” veteran journalist, editor and political analyst Jayanta Ghoshal tells me in an interview. Interestingly the BJP’s strategy in trying to capture Bengal has changed in successive elections Assembly and Parliamentary. “Initially the emphasis was on trying to consolidate the Hindu vote which has succeeded in some states in the Hindi belt where religion and caste are issues,” says Chandra Kumar Bose, former Bengal BJP Vice President. “However that strategy did not work in a state like West Bengal where the voters, possibly due to there decades of uninterrupted Communist rule, are largely secular and are unlikely to consider religion or caste to be issues of priority.”

The BJP’s key focus has shifted to trying to establish its roots in the state. From repeatedly pointing out that it was a celebrated Bengali, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, to whom the party’s origins (its relationship with the RSS) are traced back to, BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi have praised Bengal’s icons from spiritual leaders (Swami Vivekananda) to India’s great freedom fighters (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose) in public rallies and speeches in an effort connect with the Bengali voters. “Bengali” both the people and their language in fact, is a central issue in the 2026 Assembly elections. “Winning Bengal has always been on BJP’s agenda,” says Jayanta Ghoshal. “Though it has gained a lot of ground over the past decade since it came to power in 2015 at the Centre, capturing power has been elusive so far and the party has tried a range of methods. Currently it is endeavoring to establish itself as a party with deep roots in and respect for Bengal and Bengalis.”

The voters by and large are unwilling to disclose their preferences. However, a few random interviews on city roads or village paths in the districts do reveal a range of views. “We are happy with this administration especially schemes like Laxmi’r Bhandar,” says a vegetable vendor, a woman who openly declares that she will vote for Didi. Another voter, a toto driver says he wants a change because he wants to see what it is like to have a “double engine” government where the same party which rules at the Centre also rules the state. The battle is indeed bitter. The countdown to May 4 has begun and it is only a matter of time before we know who will taste sweet success.

The writer is a political journalist and Editor, Features. All photos are by the author.

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