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'''[[Vidhan Sabha|Legislative Assembly]] elections''' were held in the [[India]]n state of [[West Bengal]] in 1996.
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1996 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election
| country = India
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1991 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election
| previous_year = 1991
| next_election = 2001 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election
| next_year = 2001
| election_date = 13 May 1996
| seats_for_election = All 294 seats in the [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly]]
| turnout = 82.94%
| image1 = [[File:Jyoti Basu - Calcutta 1996-12-21 089 Cropped.png|100x100px]]
| leader1 = [[Jyoti Basu]]
| party1 = Communist Party of India (Marxist)
| alliance1 = [[Left Front (West Bengal)|LF]]
| leaders_seat1 = [[Satgachhia (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Satgachhia]]
| seats1 = 157
| seat_change1 = {{decrease}}32
| popular_vote1 = 13,670,198
| percentage1 = 37.16%
| swing1 = {{increase}}1.05%
| image2 =
| leader2 = [[Somen Mitra]]
| leaders_seat2 =
| party2 = Indian National Congress
| alliance2 =
| seats2 = 82
| seat_change2 = {{increase}}39
| popular_vote2 = 14,523,964
| percentage2 = 39.48%
| swing2 = {{increase}}4.36%
| map_image =
| map_size =
| map_caption =
| title = [[Chief Minister of West Bengal|Chief Minister]]
| posttitle = [[Chief Minister of West Bengal|Chief Minister]]
| before_election = [[Jyoti Basu]]
| before_party = Left Front (West Bengal)
| after_election = [[Jyoti Basu]]
| after_party = Left Front (West Bengal)
| majority_seats = 148
}}

The election took place simultaneously with the [[1996 Indian general election]].<ref name="Ahuja2000">{{cite book|author=M. L. Ahuja|title=Handbook of General Elections and Electoral Reforms in India, 1952–1999|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PCrZLq_gEcUC&pg=PA49|year=2000|publisher=Mittal Publications|isbn=978-81-7099-766-5|page=49}}</ref><ref>''The Hindu''. ''[http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/jagdeep-s-chhokar-and-sanjay-kumar-write-on-concurrent-elections-to-state-and-lok-sabha-elections-the-case-against-simultaneous-polls/article9150753.ece The case against simultaneous polls]''</ref>

==Parties==
===Left Front===
The [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] had fielded 70 new candidates, but many of them failed to get elected.<ref name=in1996/> The [[All India Forward Bloc]] had suffered a split before the election, with the emergence of the [[Forward Bloc (Socialist)]].<ref name=in1996/>

The Left Front supported [[Janata Dal]] candidates in five constituencies.

===Indian National Congress===

In the Congress Party, there was confrontation between [[West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee]] president [[Somen Mitra]] and Indian Youth Congress leader [[Mamata Banerjee]].<ref name=in1996b/> Banerjee played an important role in rallying public support for the party.<ref name=in1996b>''India Today''. ''[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/elections-1996-factional-feuding-in-congressi-comes-as-a-shot-in-the-arm-for-left-front/1/283286.html West Bengal: Advantage Left Front]''</ref><ref>rediff.com. ''[http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/nov/08mamta.htm The X Factor]''</ref>

The Congress leader [[Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury]] contested the [[Nabagram (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Nabagram seat]] from jail, being imprisoned on murder charges.<ref name="ie">''Indian Express''. ''[http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/west-bengal-elections-phase-4-madan-mitra-tmc-saradha-scam-kamarhati-2769489/ TMC’s Madan Mitra electoral battle from jail looks a winner]''</ref> His speeches were recorded from prison and played at campaign meetings.<ref name="ie"/>

The Indian National Congress and the [[Jharkhand Mukti Morcha]] had entered into alliance.<ref>Communist Party of India (Marxist). ''[http://www.cpim.org/content/review-may-2001-assembly-elections-may-2001 Review of the May 2001 Assembly Elections (may 2001)]''</ref>

==Results==
The Left Front won the election, entering into government for a fifth consecutive term.<ref name=in1996>''India Today''. ''[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/elections-1996-left-front-voted-into-power-for-record-fifth-term-in-west-bengal/1/280707.html Shrinking mandate]''</ref> Winning 203 out of 294 seats, the 1996 election represented the first major electoral set-back for the Left Front since its foundation.<ref name="Chander2004"/><ref name=s1996/> The electoral losses were primarily felt in [[Calcutta]] and the industrial areas, and nine incumbent Left Front ministers failed to get re-elected.<ref name="Chander2004"/> All JD candidates finished in second place and RCPI lost its representation in the assembly.<ref name=s1996/> However, in terms of votes the Left Front and the five JD candidates got 18,143,795 votes (49.3%).<ref name=s1991>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1991/StatisticalReport-West%20Bengal91.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1991 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL]''</ref> [[Jyoti Basu]]'s fifth Left Front government was sworn in, with 48 ministers representing all 13 districts of the state.<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|pages=105–111}}</ref>
{| class=wikitable style=text-align:right
!colspan=2|Party
!Candidates
!Seats
!Votes
!%
|-
|rowspan=9 align=left|[[Left Front (West Bengal)|Left Front]] and allies
|align=left|[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]<br /><small>Including candidates from [[Samajwadi Party]] contesting on CPI(M) tickets.</small>
|213
|153
|13,670,198
|37.16
|-
|align=left|[[All India Forward Bloc]]
|34
|21
|1,912,183
|5.20
|-
|align=left|[[Revolutionary Socialist Party (India)|Revolutionary Socialist Party]]
|23
|18
|1,367,439
|3.72
|-
|align=left|[[Communist Party of India]]
|12
|6
|642,993
|1.75
|-
|align=left|[[Marxist Forward Bloc]]
|2
|2
|150,099
|0.41
|-
|align=left|[[Democratic Socialist Party (Prabodh Chandra)]]
|2
|2
|129,367
|0.35
|-
|align=left|[[Revolutionary Communist Party of India|Revolutionary Communist Party of India (Rasik Bhatt)]]
|2
|0
|105,366
|0.29
|-
|align=left|[[Biplobi Bangla Congress]]
|1
|1
|60,453
|0.16
|-
|align=left|[[Janata Dal]]
|5
|0
|105,697
|0.29
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Indian National Congress]]
|288
|82
|14,523,964
|39.48
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
|292
|0
|2,372,480
|6.45
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Gorkha National Liberation Front]]
|3
|3
|161,498
|0.44
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Jharkhand Party (Naren)]]
|8
|1
|145,503
|0.40
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Jharkhand Mukti Morcha]]
|26
|0
|134,436
|0.37
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Forward Bloc (Socialist)]]
|20
|1
|123,316
|0.34
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Bahujan Samaj Party]]
|48
|0
|67,853
|0.18
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation]]
|30
|0
|47,206
|0.13
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League]]
|3
|0
|43,261
|0.12
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[All India Indira Congress (Tiwari)]]
|29
|0
|20,555
|0.06
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Indian Union Muslim League|Muslim League]]
|20
|0
|19,221
|0.05
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Amra Bangalee]]
|46
|0
|17,330
|0.05
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (Mardi)
|5
|0
|11,593
|0.03
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|Pachim Banga Rajya Muslim League
|5
|0
|5,359
|0.01
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Indian National League]]
|7
|0
|4,480
|0.01
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Social Action Party]]
|16
|0
|4,476
|0.01
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Jharkhand Party]]
|5
|0
|3,533
|0.01
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Hul Jharkhand Party]]
|2
|0
|3,309
|0.01
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Bharatiya Minorities Suraksha Mahasangh]]
|2
|0
|2,448
|0.01
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Samajwadi Jan Parishad]]
|2
|0
|1,218
|0.00
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|Indian Democratic People's Party
|3
|0
|515
|0.00
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|All India Christian Democratic and Backward People's Party
|1
|0
|392
|0.00
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|Indian Union Muslim League
|1
|0
|251
|0.00
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|[[Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha]]
|2
|0
|178
|0.00
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|Akhil Bharatiya Jan Sangh
|1
|0
|49
|0.00
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|Independents
|844
|4
|898,677
|2.44
|-
|colspan=2 align=left|'''Total'''
|'''2,035'''
|'''294'''
|'''36,788,753'''
|'''100'''
|-
|align=left colspan=6|Source: [http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1996/StatisticalReport-WB96.pdf Election Commission of India]<ref name=s1996>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1996/StatisticalReport-WB96.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1996 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF WEST BENGAL]''</ref>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://eci.gov.in/files/category/94-west-bengal/ West Bangal General Legislative Election Results] at the ''[[Election Commission of India]]''

{{West Bengal assembly elections}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=1996 State Assembly elections in India, State Assembly elections in West Bengal, 1990s in West Bengal, 1996 in Indian politics
|description=
}}

[[Category:1996 State Assembly elections in India]]
[[Category:State Assembly elections in West Bengal]]
[[Category:1990s in West Bengal]]
[[Category:1996 in Indian politics]]

1996 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election - Revision history

MetaBOT at 15:51, 8 July 2023