For the Bengal Electorate, Tangible Benefits trump Promises

Despite securing a 38% vote share in Bengal this general election - two down from the 40.6% received in 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fallen notoriously short of its previous seat share, retaining only twelve of its eighteen constituencies this year. Whilst this obviously presents challenges in relation to establishing a firm correlation concerning how the actual vote share translates into constituency figures - especially given the under-50,000 margins observed in several notable seats across the state, something is crystal clear – the electorate has, by and large, chosen to vote in favour of the AITC’s pro-poor and pro-welfare narrative. This essay endeavours to provide a succinct analysis of electoral trends in the Indian state of West Bengal in the aftermath of the 2024 General Elections, with particular reference to the bearing of state-specific welfare policies on electoral participation and outcome, utilising a behavioural model to review the immediate policy preferences and priorities of the electorate.