West Bengal

At the time of India’s Independence in 1947, Bengal was divided into two parts along the Radcliffe Line: East Bengal, which became a part of Pakistan (and eventually the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971), and West Bengal, which joined the Indian Union as part of the Dominion of India. This division was deeply traumatic, displacing crores. However, despite being only a fragment of the undivided Bengal, West Bengal retained many of the intellectual, cultural, and economic legacies of the larger region. 

Integrating Cooch Behar

One of the first major post-Independence developments was the merger of the princely state of Cooch Behar into the Indian Union. Unlike many other princely states that acceded to India soon after 1947, Cooch Behar only formally joined West Bengal in 1949. This happened after the signing of a Merger Agreement by Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, aligning the territory with India both legally and administratively (Government of India, 1950).

Internal reorganisation

The year 1956 was particularly important in West Bengal’s administrative evolution. Following the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC), several structural changes were made to accommodate linguistic and cultural considerations, as well as to improve administrative efficiency.

One notable issue was the lack of territorial contiguity between the districts of West Dinajpur and Jalpaiguri. To address this, two narrow tracts of land were transferred from Bihar to West Bengal, including parts of the Kishanganj sub-division and Gopalpur Thana. Additionally, the Purulia district was carved out of southern Bihar and merged with West Bengal, primarily due to the predominance of Bengali-speaking residents in that area (SRC, 1950).

Following these adjustments, the state undertook an internal process of district reorganisation to better manage governance and decentralise administration. Over time, larger districts were bifurcated: Paschim Medinipur was carved out of Medinipur, Purba Bardhaman from Bardhaman, and more recently, Kalimpong was created from Darjeeling in 2017 (Government of West Bengal, n.d.).

The era of the Left Front

One of the most defining features of West Bengal’s modern political history is the prolonged rule of the Left Front, led primarily by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), from 1977 to 2011. This 34-year-long governance period was among the longest elected communist regimes in the world (Bose, 2011).

This era saw landmark land reform initiatives, especially Operation Barga, which aimed to secure the rights of sharecroppers by legally recognising their tenancies. These reforms sought to address rural inequality and were successful to a significant extent in altering the agrarian structure of the state (Chattopadhyay, 1979).

However, the Left’s economic policy remains a subject of mixed assessments. While they earned praise for their social welfare programmes and grassroots empowerment, critics argue that the regime struggled to attract industrial investment, contributing to a period of economic stagnation (Sarkar, 2006).

Cultural renaissance

Culturally, West Bengal continued to assert itself as a leading centre of intellectual and artistic thought. The post-Independence decades witnessed a golden era in Bengali cinema, producing internationally acclaimed filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Ritwik Ghatak. Ray’s films in particular won numerous international awards and elevated Indian cinema onto the world stage. Its literary tradition also remained strong, continuing the legacies of towering figures like Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, and Kazi Nazrul Islam (Cooper, 2000). 

Education and civil society

The state also earned renown for its educational institutions, including Presidency University, Jadavpur University, and Tagore’s Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan. These were centres of academic as well as politics (Sebak, 2024).

West Bengal’s civil society has historically played a significant role in shaping national conversations on democracy, secularism, and social justice. From protest movements to academic publications, the public sphere in Bengal has always been engaged (Khan, 2024).

Resolving the enclaves

One of the most complex legacies of Partition was the existence of enclaves, or chhitmahals, along the India-Bangladesh border. These tiny pockets of land, surrounded by foreign territory, had left thousands of people in legal and administrative limbo. Many residents lacked access to schools, healthcare, and even basic identity documents (Majumder, 2015).

For nearly 70 years, 225 enclaves remained unresolved. In June 2015, however, the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India and Bangladesh was signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka. This historic accord resulted in the transfer of 111 enclaves to Bangladesh and 51 to India. For the first time, residents were able to choose their citizenship and become full citizens of either country. The agreement represented not just a diplomatic victory but a human one, restoring dignity and rights to thousands of stateless people (Government of India, 2011).

The Gorkhaland movement and regional autonomy

The northern hills of West Bengal, particularly Darjeeling, have seen recurring political agitation over demands for a separate Gorkhaland state. This demand, rooted in the distinct cultural and linguistic identity of the Nepali-speaking Gorkha population, has been up for decades (Khan, 2024).

While a separate state has not yet been granted, the creation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in 2012 marked a compromise, giving the region greater administrative autonomy despite persisting tensions.

Economic transformation and urban infrastructure

Economically, West Bengal has transitioned from being a largely agrarian economy to one with growing industrial and service sectors. Kolkata, the state capital, remains a major metropolitan hub and economic centre (Khan, 2024). 

Infrastructure developments such as the East-West Metro Corridor and modernisation of ports in Kolkata and Haldia are helping integrate the state more deeply into regional and global markets (ICE, n.d.; Dutta, 2022).

Conclusion

In summary, West Bengal’s post-Independence history is a complex and layered journey of integration, reform, identity assertion, and resilience. From resolving the intricate legacy of colonial borders to navigating modern political demands, from nurturing a rich cultural and intellectual life to addressing regional disparities, West Bengal continues to redefine itself.

References

• Bose, S. (2011, May 18). The end of an era in West Bengal and India. Al Jazeera. 

  
  

• Chattopadhyay, Suhas (1979). "Operation Barga: A Comment". Economic and Political Weekly.

  
  

• Cooper, D. (2000). The Cinema of Satyajit Ray: Between Tradition and Modernity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

  
  

• Dutta, S. (2022). Adani Ports enters Bengal with Rs 298 crore Haldia Project. The Times of India. 

  
  

• Government of India (1950). White Paper on Indian States. New Delhi: Ministry of States.

  
  

• Government of India (2011). India and Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement Booklet.

• ICE (n.d.). East-West Metro, Kolkata.

  
  

• Khan, M. (2024). West Bengal. In The Territories and States of India 2024 (4th ed.). Routledge.

• Majumder, S. (2015). India-Bangladeshi enclaves ready to swap sides. BBC.

• Sarkar, A. (2006). Political Economy of West Bengal. Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 41, Issue 4.

  
  

• Sebak, Jana (2024). Higher Education in West Bengal – An Overview. Artha Beekshan , Vol. 26, No. 1-2 (June 2017): pp. 21-55. 

  
  

• States Reorganisation Commission (1955). Report of the States Reorganisation Commission. Ministry of Home Affairs.