Spatial Patterns of Ethnic Voting: Analyzing the Rajbangsi Influence Zone in West Bengal Assembly Elections, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62656/Keywords:
Rajbangsi, Ethnic Voting, Spatial Analysis, Electoral Politics, Assembly ElectionsAbstract
This paper examines the spatial dynamics of ethnic voting and the electoral salience of the Rajbangsi community in some constituencies of North Bengal in the West Bengal Assembly Elections of 2011, 2016 and 2021. Using secondary data of electoral outcomes from the Election Commission of India and the Chief Electoral officer, Government of West Bengal, it studies constituency level voting patterns to trace the spatial concentration of the Rajbangsi electorate and changes in their political choice over time. Field surveys, reviews of literature and media analyses supplement this in an attempt to bring out the key determinants of variation in vote share, including the politics of historical grievances related to recognition, economic deprivations coupled with uneven development, and the renewed assertion of the community's cultural identity. Further, it examines the ways in which political parties, especially the Trinamool Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and other regional political actors, strategically invoke Rajbangsi identity through symbolic representation, manifesto promises and strategic mobilizations. This paper, therefore, brings together spatial electoral data and qualitative insights to underline the continued relevance of ethnicity in shaping political behaviour and choice in North Bengal, illustrating how, in contemporary West Bengal, the intersection of identity and geography continues to influence party strategies and regional political alignments.
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