ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses three questions. First, what were the principal issues at a nation-wide level in the Tenth General Election in India? Second, to what extent were these issues raised and discussed in the election campaign in the state of West Bengal? Third, what explains the relatively low salience of national issues in West Bengal? The Ram Janmabhoomi/Babri Masjid issue is emblematic of certain profound changes that are under way in the Indian polity. With the exception of Kerala, Bengal is the state in the Indian Union that remains a Communist-led bastion. National issues made partial inroads in the election campaign in West Bengal. Instead local political personalities and their specific assets and liabilities played a significant role in the campaign. The Communist Party of India (M)(CPI) picked up the themes of economic emancipation and communal polarization. The CPI(M) demonstrated its commanding position in rural West Bengal in Tenth General Election winning 27 out of a possible 42 parliamentary seats.
