9 min readKolkataOct 26, 2026 12:16 PM IST First published on: Oct 26, 2026 at 06:30 AM IST

More than five decades after one of West Bengal’s most controversial Assembly elections, the 1972 polls are back in the spotlight. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey recently invoked the election to target the Congress, drawing on allegations made by the CPI(M) at the time that the grand old party had used state power, intimidation and electoral malpractice to secure a sweeping victory.

The BJP, which has repeatedly faced accusations from Opposition parties of undermining democratic institutions and electoral processes, is now citing the Left’s account to turn the tables on the Opposition.