West Bengal's 2026 elections should be a contest of ideas but on the ground, something far darker is unfolding. What emerges from ground reporting is not voters debating whom to choose, but fearing whether they'll be allowed to vote at all. Booth capturing, voter list manipulation, and intimidation have replaced genuine democratic exercise. While TMC faces anti-incumbency after 15 years and BJP pushes hard, is the real casualty democracy itself? Host Nidhi Sharma talks to ET’s Jayatri Nag, Kumar Anshuman and a prominent senior journalist and columnist, Shikha Mukerjee why Bengal isn't just testing political loyalty, it's testing whether free and fair elections still exist in India.

You can follow our host Nidhi Sharma on her social media: Twitter & Linkedin

Check out other interesting episodes like: India's Medical Tourism Slips Off the Table, ET Deep Dive:The Van That Ate the SUV, Quantum Leap: India’s Amaravati Bet, Can India Truly End Naxalism?, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks  and much more.

Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn,  Amazon Music and Google Podcasts.

Credits:  Dev Official Singer