West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026: After remaining in power in West Bengal for 15 consecutive years, Mamata Banerjee is once again standing on the threshold of creating history. As the supremo of Trinamool Congress, she has maintained her influence on the politics of the state for a long time.

At a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party is fighting the elections with full gusto on the basis of central leadership, Mamata Banerjee still seems to be standing firm as a strong regional leader. During his rule, while the influence of leftist parties almost ended, the Indian National Congress also became very weak. However, the BJP has strengthened its hold in the state in recent years and established itself as the main challenger.

The litmus test of brand ‘Didi’

The biggest challenge facing Mamata Banerjee in this election is BJP. Amidst the allegations of corruption and discussions of anti-incumbency, the important question is whether TMC will be able to defeat its main rival again. Mamata’s popularity was not limited to her rule only, but her simplicity and politics of “Maa, Mati, Manush” have kept her deeply connected with the people.

Political journey and rise

Mamata Banerjee, who started in student politics in the 1970-80s, started her career with Congress (I). She became an MP for the first time in 1984 and gradually became the most vocal face against the Left in West Bengal.

In 1997, she founded the Trinamool Congress and emerged as a strong alternative against the CPM. The Singur movement of 2006 proved to be the turning point of his politics, where he led a long movement in favor of farmers against Tata’s Nano project.

2011: the year of change of power

In the 2011 assembly elections, Mamata Banerjee registered a historic victory by ousting the Left government which was in power for 34 years and winning 184 out of 294 seats. With this she became the first woman Chief Minister of the state. After this, he repeated the victory in 2016 and 2021 also. Despite the defeat from Nandigram in 2021, he retained the post of Chief Minister by winning the Bhawanipur by-election.

Overall, the politics of West Bengal is currently at a crucial juncture, where on one hand BJP is trying to come to power, while on the other hand Mamata Banerjee is claiming victory again with the help of her hold and the image of “Brand Didi”.

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