IJCOPE Journal

UGC Logo DOI / ISO Logo

International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management

A Peer-Reviewed, Open-Access International Journal Supporting Multidisciplinary Research, Digital Publishing Standards, DOI Registration, and Academic Indexing.
Journal Information
ISSN: 3108-1754 (Online)
Crossref DOI: Available
ISO Certification: 9001:2015
Publication Fee: 599/- INR
Compliance: UGC Journal Norms
License: CC BY 4.0
Peer Review: Double Blind
Volume 02, Issue 6

Published on: June 2026

SONGS AS CONTESTED POLITICAL APPEALS AND CLAIMS TO POWER IN WEST BENGAL POLITICS

Salil Biswas Parfej Ali

Madhumita Dutta

Department of Political Science, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, India
DOI:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i6.246

Article Status

Plagiarism Passed Peer Reviewed Open Access

Available Documents

Download PDF Review Report

Abstract

Change is built into the fabric of society—and politics is no stranger to it. The gradual decline of the Left party, a political vacuum enabled the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to anchor its political foothold in the West Bengal political landscape. The BJP brought religious and nationalist songs as a political appeal to legitimise its ideological narrative among the broader Hindu groups. which repositions the existing ruling party's (TMC) previous ideological narrative from mass representative to broader Bengali cultural identity protectionism. Therefore, the 2026 election reflects a clash between two antagonistic ideological narratives of TMC-led Bengali regional identity and BJP-led Hindutva nationalism. which is cultivated and fostered through the purposeful deployment of musical expression. By deploying music as a tool of affective mobilization, both parties consolidate mass popularity and legitimise their political authority through narrative building.

Keywords – Political songs, ideological narrative, Legitimacy, Emotional appeal, Musical warfare,

How to Cite this Paper

Biswas, S. & Ali, P. (2026). Songs as Contested Political Appeals and Claims to Power in West Bengal Politics. International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management, <i>02</i>(6). https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i6.246

Biswas, Salil, and Parfej Ali. "Songs as Contested Political Appeals and Claims to Power in West Bengal Politics." International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management, vol. 02, no. 6, 2026, pp. . doi:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i6.246.

Biswas, Salil, and Parfej Ali. "Songs as Contested Political Appeals and Claims to Power in West Bengal Politics." International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management 02, no. 6 (2026). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i6.246.

Search & Index

Google Scholar Crossref DOI ResearchGate

References


  1. Kennedy, V., & Kolar, K. (2023). Music as Protest and Propaganda. In Memoriam Hugo Keiper Anglistischer Forscher, Lehrer, Freund: Eine Würdigung, 142–174.

  2. ‘Khela hobe’ battle cry in 2026 but with more force, says CM Mamata to TMC. (2025, February 28). The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/khela-hobe-battle-cry-in-2026-but-with-more-force-says-cm-mamata-to-tmc/articleshow/118616298.cms

  3. Colley, L. (2005). Britons: Forging the nation, 1707-1837. Yale University Press. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=UvekhU69KagC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=Linda,+Colley+(1992).+Britons:+Forging+the+Nation+1707%E2%80%931837.+London:+Pimlico+pp.+44%E2%80%938.+&ots=OrL30NGk88&sig=avJJgvV78oNthmk_odyrtk0TkRk

  4. Brown, C. (2008). Politics in music. Music and Political Transformation from Beethoven to Hip-Hop. Eyüpsultan: Farsight Press.[Google Scholar]. https://courtneybrown.com/pdf/publications/PoliticsInMusic_front_end_material.pdfChakrabarty, B. (2011). The 2011 State Assembly Election in West Bengal: The Left Front Washed-out! Journal of South Asian Development, 6(2), 143–167. https://doi.org/10.1177/097317411100600201Hussain, M. I. (2023). The rise of the BJP in West Bengal: A study of Lok Shaba and assembly Election. International Journal of Political Science and Governance, 5(1), 19–23.

  5. Medina, J., & Wood, D. (Eds.). (2005). Truth: Engagements Across Philosophical Traditions (1st ed.). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470776407

  6. Nath, S., & Ray, S. (2024). Political campaigning in West Bengal: Violence, professionalisation, and communalisation. In Political Campaigning in Digital India (pp. 39–54). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003486305-3/political-campaigning-west-bengal-violence-professionalisation-communalisation-suman-nath-subhasish-ray

  7. Ross, S. T. (2013). The propaganda power of protest songs: The case of Madison’s Solidarity Sing-Along. Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive), 11(1), 21.

  8. Arif, F., Khan, M. A., & Haider, A. (2023). Narrative Building in Politics: A Critical Analysis of Imran Khan’s Selected Discourse. Global Social Sciences Review, 8(2), 541–553.

  9. Patterson, M., & Monroe, K. R. (1998). NARRATIVE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE. Annual Review of Political Science, 1(1), 315–331. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.1.1.315

Ethical Compliance & Review Process

  • •All submissions are screened under plagiarism detection.
  • •Review follows editorial policy.
  • •Authors retain copyright.
  • •Peer Review Type: Double-Blind Peer Review
  • •Published on: Jun 18 2026
CCBYNC

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You are free to share and adapt this work for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution.

View License
Back to Volume 02, Issue 6View All Issues Next Article

← Previous Article

Solar Air Purifier and Monitoring

Next Article →

Spatio Temporal Dynamics of Summer Land Surface Temperature, Vegetation Cooling Effect, and Urban Heat Island Characteristics in Jammu Province, Western Himalaya (2000–2025)
Scroll to Top