What if the four incumbents win again? Is that good for democracy?

Apr 20, 2026 | 13:24 IST

Mamata, Vijayan, Himanta and Stalin are all facing anti-incumbency pressures. And yet they may return to power on May 4 because they appear to be better placed than their rivals. But is too much stability perhaps not productive for a dynamic democracy?

Stripped of all the fluff – extravagant promises, eyewatering freebies, conspiracy theories – the outcome of the four ongoing state assembly elections will ultimately hinge not so much on the competing "visions" of rival parties, considering that they're broadly similar (more sops for women and youth, more developmental projects, more jobs et al), but on who is able to make a more compelling argument in the debate over stability versus change.

All four outgoing governing parties – Left Front in Kerala, Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam – are facing anti-incumbency pressures.

TOI

TOI

What if the four incumbents win again? Is that good for democracy?

Mamata, Vijayan, Himanta and Stalin are all facing anti-incumbency pressures. And yet they may return to power on May 4 because they appear to be better placed than their rivals. But is too much stability perhaps not productive for a dynamic democracy?

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TOI

What if the four incumbents win again? Is that good for democracy?

Mamata, Vijayan, Himanta and Stalin are all facing anti-incumbency pressures. And yet they may return to power on May 4 because they appear to be better placed than their rivals. But is too much stability perhaps not productive for a dynamic democracy?

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