Bengal is known for its unwavering loyalty to a single political force, often letting it govern for decades. Over nearly eight decades, the state has seen three distinct eras: the Congress era, the red era of Left dominance, and the Mamata moment of disruption.

The Congress era began immediately after independence in 1947. Bengal's first chief minister, Bidhan Chandra Roy, played a crucial role in rebuilding the state and establishing its administrative framework. He developed the planned township of Salt Lake City and made Kolkata a hub for the Congress party.

However, the Congress's grip on Bengal started to slip. Fractures within the party, national-level upheavals, and the emergence of alternative ideologies weakened its hold. The 1967 elections marked a turning point, dealing a significant blow to Congress supremacy.

The red era saw the rise of the Left Front, led by Jyoti Basu, a Marxist leader who would become one of India's longest-serving chief ministers. The Left implemented key reforms, such as Operation Barga, which strengthened land rights for sharecroppers, and decentralised governance through the Panchayati Raj system.

The Left Front governed Bengal uninterrupted from 1977 to 2011, but by the 2000s, discontent was growing, and Mamata Banerjee was gathering momentum. She emerged as a fierce challenger, dismantling the Left's dominance in the 2011 assembly elections and becoming Bengal's first woman chief minister.

The Mamata moment marked a complete political reset, pushing the Congress and the Left to the sidelines. Now, Mamata's Trinamool Congress is facing its most formidable challenge yet from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which claims the sun has set for the TMC. But what's behind their confidence?