âMind Gameâ: How a Perception War Is Dominating the Bengal Election Campaign
Indiaâs most prolonged assembly election is witnessing a battle of nerves as the psychological warfare intensifies.
BJP MP Ravi Kishan flashes a victory sign during a rally in support of party candidate from Entally constituency Priyanka Tibrewal ahead of the third phase of West Bengal Assembly Polls, in Kolkata, Saturday, April 3, 2021. Photo: PTI
Politics3 hours ago
Kolkata: âThe time has come for you to know/ I’m victim of propaganda war,â say two lines from a track in the Serbian band Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestraâs 2000 album, âDevil In The Business Class’. Pratik Kumar Mandal, a young student who lives in Bandel town within Chinsurah assembly segment in Hooghly district, believes that these lines might perfectly fit himself and many other residents of West Bengal as they prepare to exercise their democratic franchise in a high-voltage electoral
BJP leaders in many south Bengal districts are facing a challenge they dare not publicly admit meeting the party’s stiff target of over 50,000 people per district to the Brigade Parade Grounds in Calcutta for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Sunday rally.
On Saturday evening, many BJP leaders on the ground admitted without wanting to be named that meeting such targets were “practically impossible” from areas with a substantial minority population and where the party’s organisational strength is poor.
These apart, there are smaller yet significant hurdles. For instance, BJP workers said that in districts such as East Burdwan and Hooghly, many supporters are farmers busy with potato harvesting.