New Delhi, March 15 The stakes are high for the BJP in the upcoming elections to five state assemblies, with West Bengal being the major test case for the saffron party.
In the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections, the BJP emerged as the main opposition, winning 77 seats in the 294-member assembly from the three it had won in 2016.
With a revised election strategy, the BJP is confident of unseating the TMC from power this time by capitalizing on the anti-incumbency sentiment against the Mamata Banerjee government. The party is also hoping to gain public support by raising the issue of corruption and infiltration in the state.
The TMC has been in power in West Bengal for 15 years.
However, the biggest challenge for the BJP is the absence of a charismatic local leader in West Bengal. While the saffron party is relying on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership to win there, Banerjee continues to be a formidable figure in the state.
In Assam, the BJP-led NDA is confident of scoring a hat-trick under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, relying on its governance record and organizational strength.
However, its march to victory may not be easy, as the Congress-led opposition is making efforts to capitalize on anti-incumbency and local grievances against the ruling dispensation.
The BJP-led NDA may also face resistance from sections of minority voters, particularly Bengali-speaking Muslims, amid criticism from the opposition over the government's eviction drives and rhetoric around illegal immigration.
Issues such as the long-standing demands of six communities for Scheduled Tribe status could also feature in the electoral discourse.
The BJP has been on the rise in Assam since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and came to power in the state for the first time in 2016 by winning 60 seats in the 126-member assembly. It improved its tally to 64 in the 2021 assembly elections.
Its allies AGP, UPPL, and BPF have nine, seven, and three MLAs in the outgoing assembly.
In the opposition camp, the Congress has 26 MLAs, AIUDF has 15 members, and CPI(M) has one MLA. There is also an Independent legislator.
In the south, the BJP has been making renewed efforts to expand its presence in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, relying on its past election performance. However, its success depends on its allies.
The BJP, which could not win any seat in the last assembly polls in Kerala, is hoping to gain some ground this time, riding on its success in recent local body elections, even as the Congress-led UDF and CPI(M)-led LDF are the main contenders in the state.
Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry will be held on a single day on April 9, in Tamil Nadu on April 23, and in two phases in West Bengal on April 23 and 29, while votes will be counted for all polls on May 4, the Election Commission announced on Sunday.