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{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1982 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election
| type = Legislative
| ongoing = no
| country = India
| previous_election = 1977 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election
| previous_year = 1977
| next_election = 1987 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election
| next_year = 1987
| leader1 = [[Jyoti Basu]]
| image1 = [[File:Jyoti Basu - Calcutta 1996-12-21 089 Cropped.png|100x100px]]
| party1 = Communist Party of India (Marxist)
| percentage1 = 38.49%
| seats1 = 174
| last_election1 = 178
| seat_change1 = {{loss}} 4
| swing1 = {{increase}} 3.03%
| alliance1 = [[Left Front (West Bengal)| Left Front]]
| party3 = Indian National Congress
| leader3 = [[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]]
| image3 =
| percentage3 = 35.73%
| seats3 = 49
| last_election3 = 20
| seat_change3 = {{increase}} 29
| swing3 = {{increase}} 12.71%
}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
'''[[Vidhan Sabha|Legislative Assembly]] elections''' were held in the [[India]]n state of [[West Bengal]] in 1982. The [[Left Front (West Bengal)|Left Front]], which had won the [[1977 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election]], emerged victoriously. The [[Indian National Congress|Indian National Congress(I)]] emerged as the main opposition party in the state, as the [[Janata Party]] was disintegrating.

==Background==
On 6 January 1982 the West Bengal government requested that assembly elections be held on 15 March 1982, due to the approaching [[Monsoon season]] starting in April.<ref>{{cite book|title=Report on the Election to the Office of President of India, 1982 and Legislative Assemblies, Delhi Metropolitan Council, 1982–83: Narrative|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zEcmAAAAMAAJ|year=1983|publisher=Election Commission of India}}</ref> However, in the end the election was held in May 1982, parallel to state assembly elections in [[Kerala]], [[Himachal Pradesh]] and [[Haryana]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Commonwealth Yearbook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VomOAAAAMAAJ|year=1991|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|page=216}}</ref>

==Left Front==
Ahead of the 1982 assembly elections, the Left Front had gained three new members; the [[Communist Party of India]] (CPI), the [[West Bengal Socialist Party]] (WBSP) and the [[Democratic Socialist Party (Prabodh Chandra)|Democratic Socialist Party]] (DSP).<ref name="Basu1994">{{cite book|author=Amrita Basu|title=Two Faces of Protest: Contrasting Modes of Women's Activism in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZyY0Yb5BrqgC&pg=PA44|date=1 October 1994|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-08919-8|page=44}}</ref> Some of the older, smaller Left Front constituents were uncomfortable with the expansion of the alliance, claiming that CPI(M) was diluting it politically.<ref name="Basu1994"/> There were also disagreements on distribution of ministerial portfolios after the expansion of the alliance.<ref name="Basu1994"/>

==Congress (I)-Congress (S) alliance==
As of the early 1980s the [[Indian National Congress|Congress(I)]] was heavily divided in West Bengal. Divisions existed in each of the appointed ''ad hoc'' district committees across the state.<ref>''India Today''. ''[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-today-takes-a-close-look-at-the-institutional-pillars-of-indian-democracy/1/391300.html Year of reckoning]''</ref>

In 1978 [[Sharad Pawar]] named former West Bengal Congress leader [[Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi]] as president of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (Socialist).<ref name="MadsenNielsen2011"/> However Congress(I) and [[Indian Congress (Socialist)|Congress(S)]] contested the 1982 in alliance.<ref name=in1982/> The IC(S) performed poorly in the 1982 assembly elections and a merger of the West Bengal units of the (S) and Congress(I) took place soon after the 1982 polls.<ref name="MadsenNielsen2011">{{cite book|author1=Stig Toft Madsen|author2=Kenneth Bo Nielsen|author3=Uwe Skoda|title=Trysts with Democracy: Political Practice in South Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6w7JVOlDIokC&pg=PA165|year=2011|publisher=Anthem Press|isbn=978-0-85728-773-1|page=165}}</ref>

Congress(I) emerged as the largest opposition party in the election. Most of the seats previously held by the [[Janata Party]] were won by Congress(I).<ref name=in1982/> With the Janata Party eradicated from the assembly, West Bengal politics became polarized between the Left Front and Congress(I) for many years to come.<ref name="Chander2004"/>

==Bharatiya Janata Party==
The [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] contested the West Bengal assembly election for the first time in 1982.<ref name="Swain2001">{{cite book|author=Pratap Chandra Swain|title=Bharatiya Janata Party: Profile and Performance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Gk1Wz4k_xUC&pg=PA194|year=2001|publisher=APH Publishing|isbn=978-81-7648-257-8|page=194}}</ref> The primary objective of the party was to create a nucleus for a future third force in West Bengal politics.<ref name="Swain2001"/> The party supported the call of the West Bengal government to hold the elections in March 1982.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Annual Register of Indian Political Parties|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jKkkAQAAIAAJ|year=1982|publisher=Michiko & Panjathan|page=108}}</ref>

==Gorkhaland agitation==
In the wake of the 1980 Gorkhaland movement, a poll boycott campaign took place in the Darjeeling hills with the slogan "No State, No Vote".<ref name="Samanta2000">{{cite book|author=Amiya K. Samanta|title=Gorkhaland Movement: A Study in Ethnic Separatism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J4GqdfG0EU8C&pg=PA274|year=2000|publisher=APH Publishing|isbn=978-81-7648-166-3|page=274}}</ref><ref name="Chaklader2004">{{cite book|author=Snehamoy Chaklader|title=Sub-regional movement in India: with reference to Bodoland and Gorkhaland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3yRuAAAAMAAJ|year=2004|publisher=K.P. Bagchi & Co.|isbn=978-81-7074-266-1|page=85}}</ref> Organizations calling for a poll boycott included the Pranta Parishad and the [[Gorkha National Liberation Front]] of [[Subhash Ghisingh]].<ref name=n1982>''India Today''. ''[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/nepali-speaking-people-consider-recognition-of-their-language-a-fundamental-prerequisite-for-establishment-of-their-indian-identity/1/361389.html Nepalis: Demanding a voice]''</ref> Voter participation in Darjeeling stood at 59.40%, compared to the statewide 76.96%.<ref name=s1982/> CPI(M) emerged as the sole party of relevance in the hills to oppose a separate Gorkhaland state.<ref name=n1982/> CPI(M) won three out of the four assembly seats in the Nepali-dominated areas, the fourth going to an [[All India Gorkha League]] candidate (contesting as an independent).<ref name="Chaklader2004"/>

==Results==
The Left Front emerged victorious, winning 238 out of 294 seats in the election.<ref name="Chander2004">{{cite book|author=N. Jose Chander|title=Coalition Politics: The Indian Experience|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G_QtMGIczhMC&pg=PA105|date=1 January 2004|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=978-81-8069-092-1|page=106}}</ref> The combined Left Front vote was 11,869,003 votes (52.7% of the votes cast in the state).<ref name=s1982>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1982/StatisticalReportWestBengal82.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1982 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL]''</ref>

According to an unnamed Western diplomat, quoted in ''[[India Today]]'' in regards to the polls, "Bengali democracy has come really close to the East European variant of the '[[People's democracy (Marxism–Leninism)|people's democracy]]' where nobody expects an upsetting victory or defeat".<ref name=in1982>''India Today''. ''[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jyoti-basu-sworn-in-as-west-bengal-cm-for-second-successive-term/1/392471.html West Bengal: Keeping to the Left]''</ref> Nevertheless, whilst the overall outcome was a landslide victory for the Left Front, the left also suffered a number of set-backs.<ref name=in1982/> Six incumbent Left Front ministers were defeated in their respective constituencies.<ref name=s1982/> The CPI(M) Information Minister [[Buddhadev Bhattacharya]] lost the [[Cossipur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Cossipur seat]] to Congress(I) candidate [[Prafulla Kanti Ghosh]] by 728 votes.<ref name=in1982/><ref name=s1982/> The CPI(M) Education Minister [[Partha De]], noted for his policy of removing [[English language]] from the primary school curriculum, lost the [[Bankura (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Bankura seat]].<ref name=in1982/> The incumbent Food Minister, the [[Revolutionary Communist Party of India]] leader [[Sudhindranath Kumar]], lost his seat [[Howrah Central (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Howrah Central]].<ref name=sudhin>''India Today''. ''[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/coming-rajya-sabha-polls-prove-to-be-a-severe-test-for-west-bengal-political-parties/1/360619.html West Bengal: Seating scrap]''</ref> Finance Minister and CPI(M) heavy-weight [[Ashok Mitra]] lost the [[Rash Behari Avenue (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Rash Behari Avenue seat]] to Congress(I) candidate [[Haimi Bose]].<ref name=in1982/> As Finance Minister Mitra had cracked down on the Sanchaita Savings Company, whose 'get-rich-quick' scheme had some 4,000 depositors in his constituency.<ref name=in1982/>

In [[Calcutta]] Congress(I) managed to win 11 out of 22 seats.<ref name=in1982/> [[Santosh Rana]] of the [[Provisional Central Committee, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)]] lost his [[Gopiballavpur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Gopiballavpur seat]] to CPI(M).<ref name=s1982/>

The ninth West Bengal Legislative Assembly was constituted on 24 May 1982.<ref name=wb>State Legislative Assembly West Bengal. ''[http://wbassembly.gov.in/html/briInfoPreass.htm West Bengal Legislative Assembly Under the constitution of India]''</ref> CPI(M) leader [[Jyoti Basu]] remained as Chief Minister, being sworn in for a second term.<ref name=in1982/><ref name="GHOSH2012">{{cite book|author=PEU GHOSH|title=Indian Government and Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tjEdaFbEo0MC&pg=PA331|date=3 September 2012|publisher=PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.|isbn=978-81-203-4649-9|page=331}}</ref> [[Hasim Abdul Halim]] of CPI(M) became speaker of the Legislative Assembly, a post he would hold until 2011.<ref>''Ganashakti''. ''[http://ganashakti.com/english/news/details/11221 Lal Salam Comrade Halim] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121043953/http://ganashakti.com/english/news/details/11221 |date=21 November 2016 }}''</ref>

{| class=wikitable style=text-align:right
!colspan=2|Party
!Candidates
!Seats
!Votes
!%
|-
|rowspan=8 align=left|[[Left Front (West Bengal)|Left Front]]
|align=left|[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]
|209
|174
|8,655,371
|38.49
|-
|align=left|[[All India Forward Bloc]]
|34
|28
|1,327,849
|5.90
|-
|align=left|[[Revolutionary Socialist Party (India)|Revolutionary Socialist Party]]
|23
|19
|901,723
|4.01
|-
|align=left|[[Communist Party of India]]
|12
|7
|407,660
|1.81
|-
|align=left|[[Revolutionary Communist Party of India]]
|3
|2
|106,973
|0.48
|-
|align=left|[[Marxist Forward Bloc]]
|2
|2
|80,307
|0.36
|-
|align=left|[[Biplobi Bangla Congress]]
|1
|0
|34,185
|0.15
|-
|align=left|[[West Bengal Socialist Party]] and<br />[[Democratic Socialist Party (Prabodh Chandra)|Democratic Socialist Party]]
|10
|6
|354,935
|1.58
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Indian National Congress|Indian National Congress (I)]]
|250
|49
|8,035,272
|35.73
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Indian Congress (Socialist)]]
|28
|4
|885,535
|3.94
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Socialist Unity Centre of India]]
|34
|2
|232,573
|1.03
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Janata Party]]
|93
|0
|187,513
|0.83
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
|52
|0
|129,994
|0.58
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Indian Union Muslim League]]
|4
|0
|129,116
|0.57
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Lok Dal]]
|16
|0
|22,361
|0.10
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Jharkhand Mukti Morcha]]
|1
|0
|1,268
|0.01
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|Independents
|432
|1
|994,701
|4.42
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|'''Total'''
|'''1,204'''
|'''294'''
|'''22,487,336'''
|'''100'''
|-
|align=left colspan=6|Source: [http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1982/StatisticalReportWestBengal82.pdf ECI] <ref name="Assembly1983">{{cite book|author=West Bengal (India). Legislature. Legislative Assembly|title=List of Members|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lmQmAAAAMAAJ|date=July 1983|publisher=Superintendent, Government Print.|page=9}}</ref>
|}

==References==

{{Reflist|2}}

{{West Bengal assembly elections}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=State Assembly elections in West Bengal, 1980s in West Bengal
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[[Category:State Assembly elections in West Bengal]]
[[Category:1980s in West Bengal]]
[[Category:1982 State Assembly elections in India|West Bengal]]

1982 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election - Revision history

MetaBOT at 15:07, 8 July 2023