In the seven-decade-plus existence of India as the world’s largest electoral democracy, no state election aroused such hype and boundless curiosity, not just within the nation itself, but all across the world like the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections. From Washington DC to London to Berlin to Ottawa and all the major dots connecting the centres of world power, the leaders there were keeping track of this election. Why so much interest, after all it was not India’s national election? Only to know if the BJP, the world’s largest political outfit at the moment is really invincible as believed (or made to be believed) or there’s some political personality or entity having the courage to take on a head-on duel with this juggernaut led by the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo. By early evening it was all clear and the central message the results carried was that someone has arrived finally to throw this challenge and she is only Mamata Banerjee.

There was every effort by a certain section of the Indian press to build a national perception that it’s nothing less than 200 seats for the BJP—‘is baar 200 par’ was the slogan uttered incessantly during high-voltage campaigns. Entire weight of the party's well-organized machinery was put behind the campaign which was strikingly expensive and extravagant. Its top brass became almost daily passengers to the state and scores of rallies (3-4 on an average on the days of visit) and presence of huge crowds  supplemented the carefully crafted propaganda that it’s all over for Mamata. It’s a matter of on-camera recorded fact that the lyrics of verbal attacks had hardly been so vitriolic. The ones directed towards Mamata were not only dipped in acid, but crossed all established norms of decency- to the extent that she was accused of enacting drama post her leg injury during an election rally and was even suggested to put on a Bermuda if “she is so keen in displaying her leg injury” to attract sympathy. This was undoubtedly one of the telling reasons why women of all ages thronged booths and voted for Mamata. However, it was really an extended part of the national election truly- issues central to WB were pushed to the rear end, to be replaced by the ones like Rs 900+ price LPG, Rs 100 fuel and undoubtedly the overall mishandling of the Covid crisis now culminating into vaccine, oxygen, beds and medicine scarcity, reaping huge dividends for TMC. BJP’s election planners made a costly mistake to underestimate the people of Bengal. Its soil still hasn’t softened to the extent that saplings of polarization based on communal politics and other divisive designs can be planted so easily. How on earth it was taken for granted that the place and its people who made the largest quantum of sacrifice for the country's independence and are proud for their inclusive way of existence would succumb to the temptation of a ‘double-engine sarkar’ that was supposedly to catapult the state to its bygone 'days of glory'.

Despite the confusion over Mamata’s ‘defeat’ it's not less than 214+ for TMC in the 294-seat house. She has sent a very important message to the entire country- it’s doable- the BJP can be defeated. 2024 general elections will be really interesting from now onwards. Isn’t it that the nation has found a ‘new alternative’?