The BJP of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his trusted aide, Amit Shah; has wrested power in the state of West Bengal - once a staunch communist bastion.
Since 2011 for the last 15 years, it has been ruled by mercurial mass leader Mamata Banerjee. Now the stage is set for swearing in of a new government. The BJP has won 207 seats in the 294-member legislature and hence will have a comfortable majority. But the real challenge will come from the administration and governance point of view.
The taste of the pudding of Rasogolla is in the eating.
Mamata's failure was not as a politician. There she might have succeeded to an extent. But the outgoing chief minister failed as an administrator essentially because
the state of West Bengal can be a 'nightmare' for any administration from the governance point of view.
The long communists' spell and influence have spoiled people's habits. While there may strike at the drop of a hat due to strong trade union culture; the work responsibilities seldom exist. The first major problem the armed-chair Babus will face is to adjust to the work culture of the BJP. Unlike the Congress or the Leftists/TMC era; a good ministerial berth or juicy portfolio for an 'I am Sorry' club member may not be as exciting as expected in these cases.
Power and a good chair would mean punishing work schedule and then the Pandora's Box of complaints would be opened.
Even the southern state of Kerala has faced these vices. "Nokku Kooli" (Gawking Fee), for years, was in practice in Kerala.
The workers would demand payment for doing no physical work. In Bengal, under Marxists rule between 1977 and 2011; there was "Bekar Bhata (Unemployment allowance)".
All these issues compounded by lack of jobs, lack of industries and no proper land acquisition policy had brought the downfall of the CPI-M in 2011. With Mamata Banerjee also voted out for the same misgovernance issues, one can say a tightrope walk will be the minimum thing to 'expect' from the incoming new BJP dispensation in Kolkata.
New Chief Minister (presumably Suvendu Adhikari) will have to present himself as a mix of many characters and models. Many years back it is said Sardar Patel believed Field Marshal Archibald Wavell's (1883–1950) argument that India can be governed firmly or not all. Nowhere in circa 2026 - this statement would work better than West Bengal. The India of today is not the India of Sardar Patel's dream.
But it is also the Modi-era wherein workaholic is a virtue and it would be a misfit as an idea in West Bengal from the beginning. Hence there will be skirmishes here and there.
The new chief minister will have his priorities worked out. His new job will require a mixture of many traits -boldness, decisiveness and malleable charishma.
Some of these will not be 'attractive' in a friend but will be essential for a leader and an administrator. Perhaps - the BJP's win was more decided by the issue of Corruption and lack of women safety than the Hindu-Bangladeshi Muslims narrative. But anti-incumbency did not mean all such votes went to the BJP's kitty.
This may actually have caused the split in Muslim votes and ultimately damaged the provincial party Trinamol (Grassroots) Congress of Mamata Banerjee.
In fact, other stakeholders will include the CPI-M, Congress and two-Muslim based parties for a few seats among themselves. Like in West Bengal or elsewhere; corruption has no religion or creed. If Hindus were victims in Mamata's
Bengal. Muslims were no exception to the corruption menace. The teachers’ recruitment scam made people including Muslims furious.
The corruption may have become political culture and hence to say corruption will evaporate just because the BJP is in power will be another fallacy.
Gorkhas and other communities:
There are multiple complexities as Bengal has multiple communities. There are immense regional imbalances. And there are numerous issues related to Hindu-Muslim facets and also of different communities like Gorkhalis, other tribals and the issues and concerns of development-starved North Bengal.
The mandate in the tea-rich Coochbehar region was important.
In Darjeeling hills; while working for the development; the new chief minister will have to strike a right balance between the interests of Gurkhas (Nepali speaking people) and the vast Bengali population - both Hindus and Muslims.
Often language will unite people but religion will divide.
At times - the Hindu Bengalis and Hindu (Gorkhas) Nepalis will be on the same page vis-a-vis Hindutva -- but the 'Us and they' syndrome will also figure on certain occasions.
Can the new chief minister with the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi reverse the dynamics?
There is no magic wand for that.
ends
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