Sarkar is a Congress veteran but not known to have a mass base of his own.

The BJP is struggling to find its place in the citizens’ protest against maladministration.

Muslim votes sharply split in north Bengal and consolidated behind TMC in the south amidst hints of a new force’s rise.  

CM Banerjee’s potshots at him resulted in the BJP fiercely defending the Bharat Sevashram Sangh monk known as a hardline Hindutva preacher.

The BJP has jumped on to capitalise on the TMC chief’s criticism of the Ramakrishna Mission, Bharat Sevashram Sangha and ISKCON monks.

TMC all-India general secretary and the party chief’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha, which he has been winning since 2014, has Muslims forming about 38% of the population. 

Muslim votes sharply split in the 2019 Lok Sabha election but consolidated behind TMC in the 2021 assembly polls.

Recent developments around Sandeshkhali, Governor Bose, and the recruitment scam appear to have put the BJP on the back foot.

There is no ambiguity about Bose’s politics – he was decisively against communal politics.

The issues, equations and campaign strategies are significantly different this time.

The remarks made by BJP's Amrita Roy, the current head of Krishnanagar’s former royal family, who has been fielded against TMC's Mahua Moitra from Krishnanagar constituency, are in line with the kind of campaign Hindu nationalists often carry out.

The state’s biggest political funder, M.K. Jalan group of companies, favoured the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The group, which faced both ED and CBI investigations, spent Rs 122 crore through bonds and electoral trusts during the 2021 Bengal elections.

Of the party’s total Rs. 1,705 crore earnings through electoral bonds, Rs 1,420 crore or 83% came after returning to power for a third term in May 2021.

MK Jalan, who has business interests in agro, dairy, food processing, and real estate, spent Rs 380 crore during the 2019 Lok Sabha election. 

Mamata Banerjee’s party looks to play safe by fielding 11 sitting MLAs in 42 seats, even as it gets new faces from outside politics.

There is a tussle over the storm in Sandeshkhali between all major political parties in the state, with TMC now forced to suspend Shekh Shahjahan for six years

While the BJP named a Bengal unit veteran in an apparent move to assure old-timers, the choices made by Mamata Banerjee's party were interesting.

High court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay keeps taking potshots at state government and TMC over corruption.

The BJP is expected to take the Hindu polarisation campaign to higher pitches.