পশ্চিমবঙ্গ বিধানসভা ভোট ২০২৬
The 2026 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election is one of India’s most significant state elections, shaping the political future of eastern India. It is a high-stakes contest marked by intense rivalry, strong regional identity, and national political implications.
The defacement of a graffiti mural in Dhaka has reignited debates over Bangladesh’s cultural identity. Why does Rabindranath Tagore, whose Amar Sonar Bangla is the national anthem, remain a contested figure amid religious nationalism, political upheaval and cultural intolerance?
Tanvia Barua12mins read
“When blood is shed in Delhi, Kolkata feels the pain. And when blood is shed in Kolkata, Delhi will surely stand with us.” From battered bodies to unbroken voices, Neha Bora’s message was simple: resistance survives through solidarity across cities and struggles.
West Bengal’s post-election violence has raised fresh questions about political accountability. As allegations, arrests, court proceedings and independent conflict data point in different directions, the BJP continues to deny responsibility. The larger question remains: how long can political denial survive evidence?
From July to October, protests over alleged delays and non-receipt of Annapurna Bhandar payments have surfaced across West Bengal. Women have surrounded government offices, blocked roads and, in one reported instance, railway tracks, with fresh demonstrations emerging at Kolkata’s Seva Setu camps.
Protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation spread across Delhi and Mumbai on Gandhi Jayanti. While demonstrators in Delhi were detained amid restrictions around Jantar Mantar, a similar mobilisation was called at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. The protests centre on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, voting rights, transparency within the Election Commission and its appointment process.
West Bengal’s decision to close 933 government-aided schools with little or no enrolment raises a larger question about the future of public education. While administrative restructuring may be necessary in some cases, the government must first examine why these schools became empty, whether their decline could have been reversed, and how closures will affect communities, access and public trust in government schools.
Srijit Mukherji’s Winkle Twinkle examines whether communism can survive changing times, generations and political realities. Through Sabyasachi Sen’s return to a transformed world, the film explores ideological faith, political relevance, adaptation and the uneasy inheritance of political belief.
On Gandhi Jayanti, protests demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation unfolded in Delhi and Mumbai. Police detained protesters at Jantar Mantar, while Mumbai Police denied permission for a protest at Shivaji Park. The demonstrations focused on the Election Commission, electoral-roll revisions and the Special Intensive Revision, with protesters raising concerns over transparency, voter rights and the functioning of the poll panel.
Workers of Hantapara, Dhumchipara and Garganda tea gardens, along with land-affected residents of Torsa Tea Garden, took out peaceful padayatras on September 22, seeking to place their long-pending demands before Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari. While tea workers demanded unpaid wages and other dues, Torsa protesters sought protection of land, homes and livelihood rights amid the proposed land-port project.
India’s political history has repeatedly been shaped by party splits, leadership struggles, ideological differences and electoral calculations. From the Congress split of 1969 and the Janata Party’s collapse to the divisions within Shiv Sena, NCP and the Trinamool Congress in 2026, these ruptures have reshaped political alliances, party identities and election symbols, while raising continuing questions about majority, legitimacy and the anti-defection law.