The Roots of a Populist Regime: Examining the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal

Since 2011, West Bengal has experienced a significant political transformation with the rise of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The existing literature examines TMC’s politics through a number of prisms such as populism, welfarism and clientelism, focusing on the charismatic leadership and populist governance model. This article offers a distinct contribution by focusing on the class composition of TMC’s elites. Employing a mixed-method approach, the article analyses the socio–economic profiles of TMC candidates contesting in state elections using data on caste, occupation, education and wealth. It reveals a significant shift in political leadership, characterized by the increasing representation of non-Brahmin forward castes and marginalized communities, alongside a rise in wealthy, business-oriented candidates. This emergent class, rooted in economic rather than cultural capital, reflects a broader socio-political change in the state. The article explores the implications of the increasing representation from non-forward non-corporate commercial class. It shows a complex interplay between political elites and policymaking, suggesting that the TMC’s governance is shaped by the interests of its heterogeneous support base. Analysing state budgets (2016–2021), the study highlights the TMC’s dual strategy: direct welfare transfers to cultivate clientelist voter relationships, and indirect investments in sectors like transport, real estate and retail trade to benefit the emergent commercial elites. This dual approach underscores the entrenchment of a new political–economic regime in West Bengal, where the TMC consolidates power by balancing populist welfare measures with the interests of a rising non-hegemonic commercial class.