Pages

Monday, April 27, 2026

Bengal Is Looking Like Nepal: Modi's Campaign Draws the Same Electric Crowd Response That Propelled Balen Shah to Power

 


Bengal Is Looking Like Nepal: Modi's Campaign Draws the Same Electric Crowd Response That Propelled Balen Shah to Power
In South Asian politics, crowd energy during election campaigns has often foreshadowed seismic shifts. Just weeks ago, Nepal witnessed one such wave. Now, observers say West Bengal is showing the exact same signs.
When Balendra Shah—better known as Balen, the former rapper, civil engineer, and ex-mayor of Kathmandu—campaigned ahead of Nepal’s March 2026 parliamentary elections, the response was unmistakable. Crowds swelled across the country, drawn by his outsider appeal, anti-corruption message, and fresh Gen Z energy. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which he helped lead as its prime ministerial face, turned that frenzy into a historic landslide. Balen’s party swept 182 of 275 seats in the lower house, delivering Nepal its first single-party majority in decades and shattering the grip of traditional parties. Weeks before polling day, I went on record predicting Balen would sweep. The results proved it right.
Today, that same unmistakable vibe is rippling through West Bengal.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigns across the state ahead of the ongoing Assembly elections (with Phase 1 voting on April 23 and Phase 2 scheduled for April 29), the crowds turning out for his rallies and roadshows mirror the Balen phenomenon. From high-energy roadshows in Howrah on April 23 to massive gatherings in Mathurapur, Krishnanagar, and recent stops in North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, and Kolkata, the scale, enthusiasm, and raw energy are hard to miss.
Supporters line streets for kilometres, chanting for change and creating an atmosphere that feels less like routine electioneering and more like a popular wave building momentum.
The parallels are striking. In Nepal, Balen’s campaign tapped into deep frustration with entrenched politics, corruption, and instability—fuelled by youth-led protests that had rocked the country just months earlier. Voters across districts backed the RSP even in places where local candidates were virtual unknowns, simply riding the “Balen wave.” In Bengal, Modi’s message of development, accountability, and “Paltano Dorkar” (change is necessary) appears to be striking a similar chord against 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule. The massive turnouts and visible excitement suggest the ground is shifting in ways that go beyond traditional party arithmetic.
Of course, elections are decided by votes, not just rallies. Nepal’s result was historic precisely because it translated street-level frenzy into a parliamentary sweep. Whether Bengal delivers a comparable verdict remains to be seen on May 4, when results are declared. But the optics are impossible to ignore: the crowds that propelled an ex-rapper to prime minister in Nepal are now showing up in force for India’s prime minister in a state long considered a tough turf.
Bengal is looking like Nepal. The response Balen received was something to watch. The response Modi is getting right now is exactly the same. And as someone who correctly called Nepal’s outcome weeks in advance, I’m watching Bengal very closely. The crowds rarely lie.

at No comments:
Labels: , ,
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)