In the midst of an explosion new infections with Covid-19, though the latest figures show a declining trend, ndtv, assembly elections were held in 5 states in India, along with the Union Territory of Puducherry, Business Standard. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with partners, won Puducherry and held on to Assam but, were wiped out in Kerala, Times of India (TOI), lost power in coalition with AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, (TOI) and came a distant second to Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, (TOI) which got two-thirds majority with 214 out of 294 seats in assembly. Out of all the states, its defeat in Bengal will be the most bitter because it won 18 seats out of a total of 42 in parliamentary elections in 2019, wikipedia. It gained 16 seats while the TMC lost 12 seats they held in the previous parliament. Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah made 38 trips to campaign in Bengal and were sure that Modi's extraordinary talent in persuading a crowd to his point of view, along with sentiments of anti-incumbency against the TMC, will ensure an easy victory for the BJP. Modi slammed mis-governance by Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her protection of her nephew Abhishek Banerjee and massive corruption by party workers, ndtv. 'Jai Shree Ram' was used as a slogan to highlight Mamata's support for minorities. "West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee gets angry at 'Jai Shree Ram' slogan due to her appeasement politics," said Amit Shah, Financial Express, forcing Mamata to prove her Hindu origins by reciting Hindu shlokas, India Today. She was helped by election strategist Prashant Kishor who brought her close to the people with slogans like "Didi Ke Bolo", which means 'talk to elder sister', and "Duare Sarkar", which means 'government at the doorstep'. He also invented the slogan "Bangla Nijer Meye Ke Chae", which means 'Bengal wants its own daughter', thereby painting Modi and Shah as outsiders trying to bully a Bengali woman, TOI. "Worship of the feminine form and in particular the worship of Durga has deep historical roots in the Bengal region," wrote Adrija Roychowdhury. "Over centuries, Durga takes on a Brahmanical form as the embodiment of Shakti, the ten-armed Devi who destroys the demon Mahishasura. But she is also personal. She is the daughter of every Bengali family, whose visit every autumn is much awaited. She is the endearing, protective mother, 'Durga Ma', in the company of her four children," The Indian Express (TIE). Goddess Kali, another manifestation of Shakti, is widely worshipped in Bengal and temples to Her are everywhere. There are 51 sites where body parts of Sati, daughter of Daksh Raj, fell and these sites are associated with worship of the various manifestations of the Goddess Shakti. Bengalis also worship the Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge, with a great deal of enthusiasm, TOI. Not surprising that 'Jai Shree Ram' slogan failed to enthuse the electorate. "This has been the most violent election since 1991, when over 100 people died in electoral violence, prompting the Election Commission of India (ECI) under TN Seshan to transform the way elections are secured," Prof Gilles Verniers. "The ECI will be remembered for its contribution to this grim situation. Ignoring expert advice and warnings on the toll on human lives (because of soaring coronavirus infections), it did not club the last three phases of the West Bengal elections. It ordered parties to scale down their campaigns only after the BJP declared it would do so," Mint. "Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said that the party will move the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of India for 'behaving badly' with her party in the course of the politically charged West Bengal assembly election," Hindustan Times. Even if she loses, the ECI is tarred as partial to BJP. Perhaps Bengalis, and Tamils and Keralites, don't fall so easily for flimflam.
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