Electoral Engineering in West Bengal: How India’s Hindu Nationalist Agenda Reshapes Democratic Processes and Marginalises Muslim Voters

Adivasi communities in West Bengal, particularly in the Jangalmahal region, have long faced state-led displacement and resource extraction, with their political agency often co-opted or suppressed by both Left and Right. The BJP’s electoral strategy in Bengal has sought to incorporate Adivasi votes by promising tribal welfare schemes, but this is often a transactional move that ignores their historical grievances against land grabs and forest policies. Their exclusion from the voter audit process further marginalises them, as their citizenship status is often precarious due to bureaucratic hurdles. Indigenous knowledge systems, which prioritise collective land rights and ecological balance, are systematically sidelined in favour of extractive development models.

West Bengal’s political history is marked by a strong secular tradition, rooted in the anti-colonial movement and the legacy of the Left Front’s 34-year rule, which institutionalised welfare policies and labour rights. The BJP’s current push into Bengal mirrors earlier attempts by the Congress party to expand its base, but with a communal twist that weaponises Hindu identity. The voter audit echoes historical instances of electoral manipulation, such as the 1975 Emergency or the 2002 Gujarat riots, where state institutions were used to suppress opposition and target minorities. The NRC process in Assam, which excluded 1.9 million people—many of them Bengali Muslims—serves as a precedent for the current exclusionary tactics in Bengal.

In Sri Lanka, the BJP’s Hindu nationalist rhetoric resonates with the majoritarian policies of the Rajapaksa regime, which has used Buddhist identity to justify exclusionary citizenship laws and militarised governance. In Indonesia, the rise of Islamist parties has similarly been framed as a threat to pluralism, but with a focus on economic grievances rather than communal polarisation. In the United States, the ‘voter integrity’ narratives used to justify voter suppression laws in states like Georgia and Texas parallel India’s claims about ‘illegal migrants,’ revealing a global pattern of using electoral exclusion to maintain power. These cross-cultural parallels highlight how majoritarianism adapts to local contexts while serving elite interests.

Studies on electoral manipulation show that voter exclusion is most effective when combined with polarising rhetoric, as it creates a feedback loop where marginalised groups are further disenfranchised. The BJP’s strategy in Bengal aligns with research on ‘ethnic outbidding,’ where political parties escalate communal rhetoric to consolidate their base, often at the expense of democratic norms. The use of administrative tools like the NRC and CAA to target Muslims is supported by legal frameworks that prioritise national security over individual rights, a trend documented in comparative politics literature. However, the lack of transparent data on the voter audit process limits rigorous analysis of its impact.

Bengali literature and music have long been vehicles for secular and pluralistic values, with poets like Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam celebrating interfaith harmony. The BJP’s communal polarisation has led to a resurgence of counter-narratives in art, such as the works of filmmaker Srijit Mukherji, who critiques majoritarianism through historical allegories. Sufi shrines and Baul traditions in Bengal, which transcend religious boundaries, are increasingly under threat from both state-led encroachment and communal violence. Meanwhile, Hindutva groups have co-opted spiritual symbols, like the ‘Ram Mandir’ movement, to justify their political agenda, erasing the syncretic traditions of the region.

If the BJP continues to use voter exclusion and polarisation as electoral strategies, Bengal could face prolonged instability, with Muslim communities becoming increasingly radicalised or marginalised. The erosion of democratic institutions may lead to a feedback loop where opposition parties adopt similar tactics, further destabilising the political system. A potential scenario is the rise of a regional coalition that combines secular and leftist forces, as seen in Kerala, to counter the BJP’s majoritarianism. However, this would require addressing economic grievances and restoring trust in state institutions, which are currently deeply compromised.

Muslim women in West Bengal, particularly those in rural areas, face a double burden of exclusion due to their gender and religious identity, with limited access to legal recourse or political representation. Dalit communities, who have historically been oppressed by both upper-caste Hindus and Muslim elites, are often caught in the middle of communal conflicts, with their votes being courted but their grievances ignored. The transgender community in Bengal, already marginalised, faces heightened risks of violence and exclusion under the BJP’s polarising rhetoric. Meanwhile, Bengali Hindus who oppose the BJP’s communal agenda are often labelled as ‘anti-national’ or ‘appeasers of Muslims,’ further silencing dissent.