Congress Goes Solo in West Bengal: A High-Stakes Political Gamble
The Indian National Congress has made a decisive and potentially transformative move by announcing it will contest all 294 assembly seats independently in the upcoming West Bengal elections. This marks a complete break from its previous alliance with the Left Front, signaling a dramatic shift in political strategy for a party that has faced near-total electoral obliteration in the state.
The Stark Reality of Congress Decline in Bengal
The numbers paint a devastating picture of the Congress party's decline in West Bengal. In the 2021 assembly elections, the party failed to secure even a single seat in the 294-member legislative body. Their vote share plummeted to a historic low of just 3.03%, representing a catastrophic collapse from their 12.25% share in 2016. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections offered little improvement, with the party managing to win just one parliamentary seat despite its alliance with the Left.
During both these electoral contests, the Congress strategy centered on a vehemently anti-Mamata Banerjee campaign, spearheaded by then-state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, known for his vocal criticism of the Trinamool Congress chief. While this approach dominated their political messaging, it failed to resonate with voters, allowing the Bharatiya Janata Party to dramatically expand its presence and emerge as the principal opposition force.
The BJP's Meteoric Rise and Congress's Disappearance
The 2021 assembly elections fundamentally reshaped West Bengal's political landscape. As the Congress tally dropped from 44 seats in 2016 to zero in 2021, the BJP achieved a spectacular breakthrough, increasing its representation from just 3 seats to 77. In terms of vote share, the contrast was even more striking: while Congress support collapsed to 3.03%, the BJP surged from 10.16% to 37.97%, effectively capturing the opposition space that the Congress-Left alliance had vacated.
This dramatic reversal has left the Congress facing what many analysts describe as an existential crisis in West Bengal. With no representation in the state assembly for five consecutive years, the party has been rendered virtually voiceless in Bengal's legislative proceedings, raising fundamental questions about its organizational strength and electoral relevance.
Competitive Landscape: TMC and BJP in Overdrive
As the Congress contemplates its solo journey, both the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP have intensified their preparations for the 2026 electoral battle.
Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has launched a multi-pronged offensive, combining political confrontation with welfare initiatives. The party has challenged the Election Commission through both street protests and legal petitions while announcing significant pre-election benefits in the interim budget, including:
- Rs 500 monthly increase in the 'Lakshmir Bhandar' scheme for women
- New portal to extend social security benefits to gig workers
- 'Banglar Yuva Sathi' scheme providing Rs 1,500 monthly allowance to unemployed individuals aged 21-40
- Rs 1,000 monthly pay hikes for Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, civic volunteers, and Green Police personnel
- Four percent dearness allowance increase for government employees
The Bharatiya Janata Party has similarly intensified its campaign machinery, with top leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah addressing multiple rallies across the state. The party has appointed assembly in-charges for all 294 constituencies and formed a State Sankalp Patra Committee to draft its election manifesto, demonstrating systematic preparation for what it hopes will be a breakthrough victory.
Congress Leadership Transition and Strategic Dilemma
In September 2024, the Congress effected a significant leadership change in West Bengal, replacing Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury with Shubhankar Sarkar as state president. This move was widely interpreted as a potential shift in the party's approach toward Mamata Banerjee, given Chowdhury's reputation as her staunchest critic. However, when it became clear that the Trinamool chief was uninterested in any electoral alliance, the Congress found itself with limited options.
Continuing the alliance with the Left Front presented its own complications, particularly given the Congress's high-stakes competition with the CPM-led LDF in Kerala. This regional contradiction ultimately pushed the party toward the solo path, despite Sarkar's acknowledgment that strengthening the organization and preparing for the 2026 elections represented his immediate priorities.
The Solo Strategy: Desperate Gamble or Necessary Revival?
The Congress decision to go alone in West Bengal reflects a broader national pattern where the party has steadily lost ground to regional parties across multiple states. Many of these regional formations have grown precisely at the expense of the Congress, creating persistent friction in alliance negotiations. In this context, the Bengal decision represents a conscious choice to rebuild from the ground up rather than continue with partnerships that have yielded diminishing returns.
From a strategic perspective, the Congress arguably has little left to lose in West Bengal. With no legislative presence and minimal electoral influence, the party faces the daunting but potentially liberating task of complete organizational reconstruction. If successful, this approach could provide a template for revival in other states where the Congress faces similar challenges from regional competitors.
However, serious questions remain about whether the party possesses sufficient time, resources, and organizational energy to mount an effective campaign against two well-established political machines. With both the TMC and BJP having made substantial inroads at the grassroots level, the Congress faces the dual challenge of rebuilding its own structure while simultaneously convincing voters of its renewed relevance.
The delayed nature of this course correction—coming years after the 2021 electoral disaster and the 2024 parliamentary disappointment—further complicates the revival effort. Yet, as political observers note, in the precarious position where the Congress finds itself in West Bengal, any movement forward represents progress, however belated it may appear.
