Political triumphs, eco growth and challenges shape yr of transformation
Kolkata: It’s time to say goodbye to 2024 and welcome 2025. The year 2024 has been marked by several significant events in Bengal ranging from a massive victory by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent Assembly bypolls, despite controversies to the inauguration of a Rs 426 crore development centre by Infosys.
Bengal registered a significant economic expansion with its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) projected to surge by 10.5 per cent in the 2024-25 fiscal, significantly surpassing the national average of 7.32 per cent and reinforcing its position as the fourth-largest economy in India, as state industries minister Shashi Panja had recently claimed. It was also claimed that the manufacturing sector played a crucial role in this upward trajectory during the year, achieving a robust growth rate of 7.8 per cent, exceeding the national average.
In a major boost to the State’s economy, the newly inaugurated development centre by Infosys, spreading over 3,20,000 sq ft in New Town, is set to house over 4,000 employees and focus on cloud computing and digital services. Calling the project as “A New Year gift to West Bengal”, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed hope for increased IT investments in the state. 2024 had turned out to be a crucial year for the ruling Trinamool Congress as it registered an impressive jump in its seat count in the parliamentary polls, bagging 29 of the 42 seats from Bengal, up from 22 in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. By the end of the year, the Trinamool Congress cemented its grip on state power by increasing its tally to 217 in the 294-member state Assembly. The BJP on the other hand seemed to be in desperation to retain a foothold in the state. The BJP that had emerged as the prime challenger to the ruling dispensation of Bengal in the 2019 Parliamentary elections, suffered a drastic decline in its tally, dropping from 18 to 12 seats. The state BJP has now to heal its wounds suffered from defections and electoral setbacks in the couple of byelections in the assembly. The Congress and Left Front also failed to make any impact in the recent assembly by-elections. Ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, the state BJP was also struggling with various internal issues. The central BJP leadership had to extend the deadline several times for completing the one crore membership drive but it still appears far from reaching the target.
Despite the political backlash stemming out of the Sandeshkhali fiasco and RG Kar Medical College incident, Mamata Banerjee’s party managed to sweep the series of recent bypolls in the state. Not only in Bengal, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee solidified her party’s political footing in the nation amid a clamour for her to lead the opposition INDIA alliance.
In 2025, Trinamool Congress may therefore play a more significant role in national politics. TMC MP Sougata Roy recently underscoring the party’s national aspirations said: “In 2025, we hope to play a key role in the INDIA alliance as the chorus grows louder for Mamata Banerjee to head it.”
The tragic rape and murder of a young medic at the RG Kar Hospital on August 9 created a furore across the state and the opposition parties tried to capitalise the incident for “narrow” political gains. The protests quickly gained momentum, culminating in a 50-day agitation by junior doctors who went on a hunger strike until October 24, when they met Mamata Banerjee to resolve their concerns.
A tragic train collision occurred near Rangapani railway station in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district when a goods train rear-ended the Sealdah–Agartala Kanchanjunga Express on June 17. The devastating incident resulted in 11 fatalities and injuries to more than 60 passengers.
