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The Bengal voter is silent. Is it fear or quiet determination?

The silence may have to do with the state’s history of political violence. During the 2021 post-poll violence, BJP leaders 'ran away leaving their voters at the mercy of the mob'.

It is easy to get swayed by the size of the crowd at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallies in West Bengal’s hinterlands, or be in awe of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s spirited rebuttals to every allegation that the Opposition is levelling at her government. But the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal, slated for 23 and 29 April, are hard to call.

For one, the Bengal voter is almost eerily silent on their political choice this election season. And the electorate is divided on some of the big talking points—SIR, minority vote, the presence of an extraordinarily high number of security personnel on the ground to conduct free and fair polls.

Fear or silent determination?

One of the defining factors of this year’s Assembly polls has been the silence of the Bengal voter. Journalists and political analysts touring the state to get a sense of the voter’s mood are failing to do so.

Gulam Jeelani, political desk editor of LiveMint, who is currently touring Bengal, told ThePrint this is because the state has historically struggled with post-poll violence. “I found voters, especially in rural pockets, unwilling to reveal their leanings. I did not see this phenomenon in Bihar or Uttar Pradesh where the voter is rather vocal,” Jeelani said.

Senior journalist and public policy analyst Pratim Ranjan Bose blamed the voter’s silence partly on the “missing BJP candidate”.  Bose told ThePrint there are many voters who are angry at the ruling Trinamool Congress government and want to vote for change but cannot really trust the BJP because the party’s local candidates are not campaigning hard enough. “I am a voter in the Jadavpur Assembly constituency and till now I have not met or even seen the local BJP candidate. If you do not get reassurance from your local candidate how would you possibly make up your mind,” Bose said.

Bose........

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