The electoral sky over battleground Bengal is thick with the dust raised by the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, occasionally punctuated by politics of cultural belonging, with candidates campaigning with fish in hand to prove their Bengali identity. Lost in this cacophony is any meaningful discussion about the state’s developmental trajectory ~ from immediate economic concerns to long-term structural challenges arising from demographic change and urbanisation.

Employment generation remains the most pressing concern for Bengal’s youth. On the surface, the numbers appear reassuring: the state’s unemployment rate, at 2.2 per cent is below the national average of 3.2 per cent, as per NITI Aayog’s Macro and Fiscal Policy Landscape Report 2025; and Kolkata remains the country’s third-largest urban economy. Yet these figures mask deeper structural issues. Bengal’s per capita Net State Domestic Product at Rs 1,63,467 ~ remains significantly below that of states like Telengana (Rs 3,87,623) and Maharashtra (3,09,340) as per RBI data.

Over the past three decades, slower growth in manufacturing and high-value services compared to southern and western states has steadily pushed young people to migrate in search of opportunities. The challenge, therefore, is not merely job creation but structural transformation ~ towards industries that can sustain growth and retain skilled youth. Interestingly, despite political polarisation, there is a remarkable convergence across the manifestos of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the BJP, and the CPI(M)-led Left Front. All three emphasise logistics-led growth and port-based development as central pillars of Bengal’s future economy.

The TMC manifesto outlines an ambitious roadmap: positioning Bengal as India’s third-largest economy within a decade and building a Rs 40 lakh crore economy within five years. It proposes double-digit growth, a USD 30 billion logistics hub by 2031, five multimodal logistics parks, and industrial corridors from Raghunathpur-Tajpur to Dankuni-Kalyani and Kharagpur-Morgram, aiming to generate 10 lakh jobs. The BJP focuses on improving the investment climate through ease of doing business and single-window clearances. It proposes deep-sea ports at Tajpur and Kulpi, a blue economy hub at Haldia, four industrial parks including one at Singur.

Connectivity projects include a north–south highway from Darjeeling to the Sunderbans; airports at Purulia, Balurghat, and Cooch Behar;........

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