Insights into Evolving Political Developments The Lok Sabha election 2024 saw voting on communal lines with the large section of minority/Muslim voters shunning the ruling BJP in most places. In West Bengal, according to the state’s leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikary, 95 per cent of Muslim votes went in for the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) despite allegations of widespread corruption by the TMC. What is more, what hurt Suvendu most, had been large scale efforts to prevent majority Hindus from casting votes, both in the Lok Sabha election as also in the by-polls immediately thereafter. Clearly the communal polarisation was a major factor behind revival of a section of opposition in states like West Bengal as also Uttar Pradesh. While by encouraging communal divide certain opposition parties like Congress, TMC and SP have gained in 2024, the important question is will they manage to carry on the same trick in future? Perhaps what they...
