Bangladesh unrest set to influence Bengal Elections 2026

Protest against Bangladesh. (File Image)

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Bangladesh consulate in Kolkata following the lynching of a Hindu garment worker in the South Asian country’s Mymensingh district. At a time when the Indian state of West Bengal is preparing for parliamentary elections, India-Bangladesh relations have fallen to a record low. Since the elections will be held on both sides of the border at a time when tensions are rising in both countries, each side could influence the other’s polls. Bangladesh political crisis may spread across the border and leave its footprints in West Bengal Election 2026.

West Bengal Election 2026

There are a total of 128 parliamentary seats in seven regions that share the border with Bangladesh. These are Cooch Behar: 9, Dakshin Dinajpur: 6, North 24 Parganas: 33, South 24 Parganas: 30, Jalpaiguri: 7, Murshidabad: 22, Uttar Dinajpur: 9 and Maldah: 12. The population of these constituencies is around 6 crore. Such a large population with so many constituencies cannot remain indifferent to the developments taking place across the border.

India-Bangladesh Relations

Matua are a Dalit Hindu community who have migrated from modern-day Bangladesh from time to time. They are victims of communal violence in Bangladesh. The Matua community suffered the most when Islamist forces forced Sheikh Hasina to flee the country and targeted her supporters, including Hindu minorities. They were attacked, killed, their women raped, their homes ransacked and burned, their temples destroyed and destroyed. The violence was paused for a while, but they are still the focus of radical forces.

West Bengal Election 2026 impact

News of the persecution of the Hindu community spread like wildfire in the state of West Bengal. They get angry and upset. Analysts believe that with the upcoming elections, Hindutva forces are trying to fish in turbulent waters. Members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) demonstrated against Bangladesh in large numbers. They went so far as to criticize Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and accused her of appeasement politics.

In the four districts of South Bengal along the Bangladesh border, there are a large number of people coming from across the border. They are directly affected by the developments in the neighboring country. Buoyed by the 77 seats won by the BJP in the 2020 West Bengal Assembly Elections, the saffron party is full of confidence this time. They want to increase the polarization of votes in border areas in order to get as many seats as possible. Rising tensions along the border and deteriorating India-Bangladesh relations will definitely impact the 2026 West Bengal Elections.