For BJP, Lok Sabha polls are semi-final contest against Trinamool Congress

Though the party has only two MPs in the Lok Sabha from West Bengal, its influence over the state politics is far greater

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is considering the upcoming Lok Sabha election as a “semi-final” contest against the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal before taking on Mamata Banerjee’s party in the 2021 state polls. 

After humble beginnings in the 1980s, the BJP had a minor say in the politics of West Bengal as recent as 2014, with one or two wins in the past Lok Sabha elections and a marginal vote share. But with the fall of the Left Front government, the scenario suddenly looked brighter for the BJP.

Not only was the party able to tap the otherwise withering vote