Will Modi’s ‘Look East’ Deliver Another BJP Win?

Bhubaneswar: (Swati Biswal) With the BJP securing significant victories in Maharashtra and Delhi, the party, backed by the RSS, is now setting its sights on its next big challenge—West Bengal. The battle for Bengal is not just another election; it is a political war against the entrenched dominance of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC). The RSS and BJP have devised a meticulous strategy, drawing from their successes in Maharashtra and Delhi while adapting their approach to Bengal’s unique political and cultural landscape.
The BJP’s Maharashtra victory was a testament to its ability to weave together alliances, leverage grassroots support, and deploy targeted messaging. A crucial element of the strategy was the “Sajag Raho”campaign, designed to unite Hindu voters across caste divisions. The slogan “Ek hai toh safe hai” (We are safe if we are united) resonated across communities, solidifying support.
Additionally, the “Special 65″campaign played a crucial role, with 65 RSS-affiliated organizations conducting nearly 70,000 house meetings across Maharashtra. These meetings were designed to directly engage with voters, discussing issues such as governance, Hindutva, and national security. The approach allowed the BJP to create a strong narrative against the opposition while positioning itself as the only party that could ensure stability.
On the political front, Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, worked alongside Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to consolidate their hold over the state. Fadnavis, a seasoned strategist, played a key role in engineering the alliance with Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction, ensuring that the BJP remained dominant in both urban and rural Maharashtra.
In Delhi, while the BJP faced a tough challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the RSS’s grassroots machinery helped it make significant gains. The organization deployed thousands of volunteers to conduct micro-level outreach, organize small group meetings, and counter AAP’s influence at the neighborhood level. Though the BJP did not secure a clear majority, the inroads it made in the national capital demonstrated the effectiveness of its outreach strategy.
Having tasted success in Maharashtra and Delhi, the RSS and BJP have now turned their full attention to West Bengal. Unlike in Maharashtra, where alliances played a crucial role, or Delhi, where governance was the central theme, the Bengal strategy is being built on identity politics, cultural heritage, and grassroots mobilization.
RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has been personally involved in expanding the organization’s footprint in the state. His visit to Kolkata earlier this year marked the beginning of an aggressive push to establish a permanent RSS office in Bengal. However, this move faced resistance from the Mamata Banerjee-led government. The TMC attempted to block the RSS’s expansion efforts, citing political tensions and accusing the organization of spreading divisive politics. The matter eventually reached the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the RSS, allowing them to proceed with their office setup.
Despite this legal victory, the RSS knows that winning Bengal requires more than just infrastructure—it requires changing hearts and minds. To achieve this, the organization has been deploying several key strategies.
The ‘Sajag Raho’ Model Adapted for Bengal is similar to Maharashtra. The RSS has launched a Bengal-specific version of the ‘Sajag Raho’ campaign. However, instead of just focusing on caste unity, the Bengal version emphasizes the idea of “Bengal’s forgotten heritage.”The campaign portrays the BJP as the party that can restore Bengal’s cultural and religious identity, which the RSS argues has been diluted under TMC rule.
The BJP has also begun house-to-house engagement efforts, with nearly 70,000 house meetings planned across Bengal—a number mirroring the scale of outreach seen in Maharashtra. These meetings aim to create direct connections with voters, discussing issues such as religious freedom, economic growth, and political violence under the TMC government.
Bengal’s political landscape is vastly different from Maharashtra’s, where alliances were crucial to victory. In Bengal, the BJP is banking on strong regional leaders to take on Mamata Banerjee directly. Suvendu Adhikari, a former TMC heavyweight, has emerged as the BJP’s most prominent face in Bengal. His defection from TMC to BJP gave the party credibility among local voters, and he has been instrumental in organizing rallies and meetings in rural areas.
Alongside Adhikari, Amit Malviya, the BJP’s IT cell head, is spearheading a digital campaign aimed at countering TMC’s dominance in Bengal’s social media ecosystem. The BJP’s messaging is being amplified through targeted WhatsApp groups, YouTube videos, and Twitter campaigns designed to expose alleged corruption and political violence under Mamata Banerjee’s rule.
A key element of the BJP’s Bengal strategy is the Look East policy championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The policy, which has already yielded electoral success in Odisha and Bihar, is being positioned as a solution to Bengal’s economic woes. Modi’s rallies in Bengal are expected to focus heavily on development, job creation, and infrastructure, portraying the BJP as the party that can bring much-needed investment into the state.
However, the biggest challenge remains breaking through Mamata Banerjee’s stronghold among rural voters and minorities. The BJP is hoping to counter this by aggressively pushing its ‘Sonar Bangla’ narrative, a campaign that envisions a prosperous and corruption-free Bengal under BJP rule. The campaign argues that the TMC’s governance has kept Bengal economically backward, while states like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat have surged ahead under BJP rule.
Mamata Banerjee has not taken the BJP’s expansion efforts lightly. The TMC has launched a counter-campaign accusing the RSS and BJP of spreading communal discord. Banerjee has repeatedly warned that BJP rule would destroy Bengal’s social harmony, and she has mobilized her cadre to counter the RSS’s growing presence in rural areas.
Despite these challenges, the RSS remains optimistic. An RSS functionary, speaking anonymously, stated, “We know that Bengal is different, but our approach is different too. We are not just focusing on elections; we are building a long-term presence here. The more people understand our vision, the more they will support us.”
With the battle for Bengal heating up, the coming months will be crucial in determining the state’s political future. The RSS and BJP are doubling down on their efforts, ramping up grassroots mobilization, digital outreach, and strategic alliances to counter TMC’s dominance.
PM Modi, Amit Shah, and senior BJP leaders are expected to campaign extensively in Bengal, making economic development and governance key election issues.
The RSS will continue to thousands of house meetings , engaging directly with voters at the local level. The TMC, in response, is likely to intensify its attacks on BJP, framing the party as an outsider trying to disrupt Bengal’s social fabric.
While Maharashtra and Delhi provided a successful model, Bengal presents a unique set of challenges. The BJP has built momentum, but whether Modi’s Look East strategy will work in Bengal remains uncertain.
If the BJP succeeds, it will mark a historic shift in Bengal’s political landscape, breaking TMC’s monopoly for the first time in over a decade. If it fails, Mamata Banerjee will emerge stronger than ever.
Either way, one thing is West Bengal is set to witness one of the most fiercely contested elections in its history.