Hindutva as the Voice of Anti-Incumbency in West Bengal's 2026 Assembly Election

The 2026 West Bengal election saw the BJP win 207 seats, ending TMC rule amid corruption scandals and anti-incumbency. The victory marked a shift toward Hindutva politics, with Suvendu Adhikari becoming Chief Minister. His government invoked old laws to regulate Muslim practices and displayed majoritarian symbolism, like cow worship during Eid. The TMC faced internal collapse, with many MPs and MLAs defecting. Analysts note this reflects a deeper ideological realignment, where anti-incumbency merged with Hindu identity politics, eroding Bengal's syncretic culture and normalizing communal governance.