Kolkata, March 16 : The 2019 Lok Sabha elections saw too many 'unique developments' in West Bengal, which was not the case in the previous polls.

The first was in the results, which virtually marked the beginning of the emergence of the BJP as the principal opposition force in the state, replacing the CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Congress to a large extent.  In 2019, the BJP ended up winning 18 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, marking a big jump from its tally of 2 seats in 2014, and a single seat in 2009. 

Besides the impressive tally, what was more noticeable was the sharp penetration of the BJP in the rural pockets of the state, which have a sizeable backward class and tribal population. 

A dedicated vote bank for the CPI(M)-led Left Front for nearly three decades, these areas started strengthening the base for the Trinamool Congress since 2009, when for the first time signs of the collapse of the Red fort in West Bengal started to become evident.  Another major development in the 2019 elections was the Left drawing a blank in West Bengal for the first time since Independence. While Congress somehow saved its face to some extent by winning two seats, the Trinamool Congress ended with 22 seats, 12 less than its 2014 tally of 34. 

However, this time the BJP’s central leadership is hopeful of increasing its tally further in West Bengal, with some surveys already making projections on similar lines.  Incidentally, a day before the announcement of election results in 2019, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had claimed "42 out of 42" seats for the Trinamool.