Why Cooch Behar and Rajbongshis Matter in BJP’s Bengal Battle
Cane works of North West Bengal (Image Nirendra Dev)
From Cooch Behar to Dinhata, the Rajbongshi belt signals a decisive political churn—one that could redefine West Bengal’s 2026 Assembly election.
By NIRENDRA DEV
Cooch Behar / Kolkata, January 24, 2026 — Since 2014, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office, the Rajbongshi community in particular—and North Bengal in general—has moved perceptibly closer to the BJP. The shift is no longer anecdotal; it is electoral, organisational and emotional.
“We believe it is the BJP and the Modi government that can deliver governance and development in a governance-starved region,” says RSS functionary Sudhanshu Roy from Dinhata. The sentiment is echoed widely—from shopkeepers to housewives across Cooch Behar town—pointing to the BJP’s deepening penetration in North Bengal.
There is also a sharp regional grievance. A commonly heard refrain is that South Bengal’s political elite and parties like the CPI(M) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have historically worked against the development of North Bengal, particularly the Cooch Behar–Rajbongshi belt.
The Numbers Tell the Story
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP stunned Bengal by winning 18 of 42 seats—seven of the eight parliamentary constituencies in North Bengal. In the 2021 Assembly polls, while the Congress and the Left were wiped out statewide, the BJP secured 30 of North Bengal’s 54 Assembly seats, forming the backbone of its opposition presence.
Mainstream Kolkata, however, continues to argue that while the TMC may have lost ground in the north, it remains dominant in South Bengal—enough, many say, to return to power again.
Statehood, Sentiment and Strategy
Kumar Jitendra Narayan, a descendant of the Cooch Behar royal family, is confident the BJP will perform strongly again in 2026—provided it respects “people’s sentiment”. That sentiment revolves around long-standing demands for dignity, autonomy and fair governance.
The demand for a separate state for North Bengal remains potent but politically volatile. For the BJP, endorsing it outright risks the TMC weaponising the emotive charge of “Banga Bhanga” (division of Bengal). As a tactical alternative, sections within the BJP are considering an autonomous council for Rajbongshis—an idea that could work if communicated credibly.
A History That Fuels Resentment
The 1949 Cooch Behar Merger Agreement made the princely state a Chief Commissioner’s Province before it was converted into a district. Local Rajbongshis argue this was done unilaterally and possibly without proper constitutional backing—an issue they believe remains legally challengeable. History here is not academic; it is political ammunition.
Leadership Vacuum
Veteran leaders across ideologies agree on one diagnosis: a leadership crisis. Former Forward Bloc MP Nripendra Nath Roy bluntly states that North Bengal has not produced a leader committed to regional welfare since Kamal Guha, the iconic Left leader and former minister under Jyoti Basu.
The AIIMS Flashpoint
Nothing symbolises perceived discrimination more sharply than the AIIMS controversy. Originally proposed for Raiganj, the project was shifted to Kalyani—just 63 km from Kolkata. “It was snatching our rights by Kolkata’s elites,” says businessman Shantu Barman of Cooch Behar.
2026: Do or Die
Middle-class voters still recall Mamata Banerjee’s 2011 promise of poriborton (change). Many now say the change never came. Yet Mamata Banerjee has not betrayed her core base, particularly Muslims—a reality that shapes Bengal’s electoral arithmetic.
The BJP’s groundwork, aided by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and organisers like Dilip Ghosh and Kailash Vijayvargiya, has altered the battlefield. With both sides seeing 2026 as existential, North Bengal—especially Cooch Behar—may well decide Bengal’s future.
West Bengal Elections: BJP Faces Bengal’s Cultural Resistance
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