Bengal voted its lawmakers for the Parliament on issues mostly raised during Assembly elections or civic body polls.

Social analysts feel if Trinamul manages to clinch votes based on local issues for the Lok Sabha polls, it augurs well for the ruling party to win 2026 Assembly polls.

Sucheta Kundu, senior lecturer of political science with a state aided college, said, “The Opposition failed to convince voters on issues like Sandeshkhali and job scam. Of course, the Opposition would have to introspect in the next two years.”

“It’s not a vote to judge the state government, it’s rather a vote to throw away the anarchist Modi government in Delhi,” chief minister Mamata Banerjee said from her poll rallies. The voters believed her and voted in her party’s favour.

Centrally, the national parties like the BJP floated the issues like prospering economic development, Hindu reawakening putting Ayodhya temple on the forefront, and strengthened international relations.

The Congress and its ally CPM propagated unemployment, price rise, electoral bond, inequality, besides threat perception to the Constitution of India as its key issues. They stressed on Sandeshkhali terror, teacher’s job scam, ration scam, bad road conditions, drinking water crisis etc. The BJP kept stressing on toppling the Mamata Banerjee government, which the people did not approve of.

Whereas, local civic issues didn’t have a bearing on the parliamentary election as the civic inefficiencies couldn’t sway the mandate.

While the parties fought on local issues, the voters voted for Kirti Azad, Shatrughan Sinha, Yusuf Pathan, overlooking their ‘outsider’ tags.

“Local issues are definitely important, which we failed to focus on,” said Mohammed Selim, state secretary of the CPM, adding, “Surely, the elected lawmakers have a much bigger role in the Parliament adding value to the discussion.” The Pradesh Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury explained, “We couldn’t take the issues properly to the voters. This was a decisive vote but we strayed from local issues. Still, I don’t accept that the same mandate can be predicted for 2026.” Both the party chiefs were defeated in Murshidabad district that once had witnessed the defeat of Bengal’s last Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah in July, 1757.

Naushad Siddiqui, lone ISF MLA in the Assembly, said “We insulted the voters and even intended to term them as ‘beggars’ mocking Lakshmir Bhandar, Swasthya Sathi, which the common people rejected vehemently. But, this won’t lead TMC to triumph in the Assembly Election, I’m sure.”

BJP’s national committee member Debashree Chowdhury said, “To ascertain the key reasons behind our defeat needs a true introspection, but I’m sure, the issues would change by 2026 leading to more anti-incumbency for the TMC.”

Panchayat minister Pradip Majumdar said, “Two years is not a big time. This is obviously an indication of what is going to happen in 2026. By that time, our MPs will deliver many effective jobs.”