Bengalis Not Returning to Kerala After Bengal Elections – Construction Crisis
Thousands of Bengali workers who left Kerala to vote in the West Bengal elections have not returned, creating a severe labor shortage in Kerala’s construction sector. The situation has become so critical that construction companies have written to Indian Railways requesting special trains from Howrah to bring workers back.
The West Bengal assembly elections were held in two phases in April, and lakhs of Bengali workers from across India traveled to their home state to vote. Voter turnout was high in both phases, reflecting strong anti-incumbency sentiment against the Mamata Banerjee government. The elections resulted in a regime change with the BJP forming the new government.
Now, several weeks after the results, most workers have not returned to Kerala. The reason is a growing hope among Bengali workers that they can find employment in their home state itself under the new government. The BJP has promised to crack down on illegal immigration from Bangladesh, which would free up jobs for local Bengalis. With the prospect of a double-engine government in West Bengal and expected development in the construction sector, many workers are choosing to stay back.
This has left Kerala’s construction industry in deep crisis. Numerous projects have been stalled midway. Construction companies have deployed special teams at Chennai and Bengaluru railway stations to intercept returning Bengali workers and bring them directly to Kerala’s construction sites. Companies are even offering higher wages to attract workers back.
Industry insiders report that out of every 200 workers who went to Bengal, only about 20 have returned. If workers do not come back after Bakrid, the situation could worsen significantly, leading to company closures and an economic downturn in Kerala’s construction-dependent sectors.
Construction companies remain hopeful that most workers will return after the Bakrid festival. Until then, Kerala’s building sites wait anxiously for the return of the Bengali workforce that has long been the backbone of the state’s construction industry.