West Bengal braces for 2026 polls amid rising communal rhetoric

She further stated that capital expenditure has risen by 17.67 per cent, strengthening infrastructure and long-term capacity, while social sector expenditure has expanded 14.46 times. Under the Lakshmi Bhandar women’s empowerment scheme, the government is spending ₹12,000 crore annually.However, the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which ruled Bengal for 34 years, has demanded department-wise employment data to substantiate the government’s claims. It has also pointed out that the state’s debt burden under the Trinamool Congress regime has crossed ₹8 lakh crore.As core developmental issues are increasingly pushed aside, identity politics is emerging as a dominant political agenda in Bengal. Suvendu Adhikari has openly articulated the BJP’s electoral strategy, declaring, “Hindus must rise, unite, and vote for BJP—or Bengal will turn into another Bangladesh.” The saffron camp has repeatedly accused Mamata Banerjee of Muslim appeasement.In response, Banerjee herself has leaned into identity politics, albeit with a softer Hindutva pitch. Declaring herself a “Hindu Brahmin,” she said, “I sleep beside a Shiva temple and don’t need to learn Hinduism from the BJP.”Political observers note that both the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP are increasingly invoking religious identities—through Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, and Eid—not merely as cultural observances but as political flashpoints. This escalating narrative has been further fuelled by incidents of communal unrest as witnessed recently in the state.



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