The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta is currently working on a management case study that focuses on the organizational tactics employed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the recent elections in West Bengal. This case study aims to serve as a teaching tool for concepts related to strategy, organizational capability, and leadership in contexts beyond traditional business environments.
The initiative is being led by IIM Calcutta’s Director, Professor Alok Kumar Rai, alongside Professor Ramya T. Venkateswaran from the Strategy Group and retired Operations Group professor Bodhibrata Nag. Their collaborative effort will culminate in a publication through the IIM Calcutta Case Research Centre, in partnership with Ivy Publishing, ensuring its distribution to business schools and management institutions both within India and internationally.
The forthcoming case study is set to delve into the organizational and strategic dimensions of the BJP’s campaign for the West Bengal Assembly elections. It will assess how the party utilized its organizational framework, leadership, and management strategies throughout the campaign and whether these insights can be valuable for management education.
As part of their research, the team has engaged with key BJP figures, including Sunil Bansal, the party’s election in-charge for West Bengal, Samik Bhattacharya, the current state president, and his predecessor, Sukanta Majumdar. Additionally, efforts are underway to connect with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to gather further insights for the study.
This case study will investigate the development of grassroots organizational capabilities, focusing on various elements such as booth-level structures, motivation of party cadres, segmentation of constituencies, communication strategies, candidate selection processes, and local outreach initiatives that contribute to electoral competitiveness. It will also assess the possibility of applying organizational capabilities cultivated in one political and cultural context to another with differing social and political conditions.
The researchers plan to employ several well-established management frameworks, including the Resource-Based View, VRIO Framework, McKinsey 7-S Framework, and Dynamic Capabilities Theory, to analyze the organizational resources, alignment, and adaptability. Furthermore, the study will explore whether the capabilities developed during the electoral campaign can effectively transition into governance once in office.
IIM Calcutta has indicated that the project will include a comprehensive teaching note to assist educators in utilizing the case study within their curriculum. The aim is to foster discussions regarding whether the BJP’s performance in the upcoming 2026 West Bengal elections can be interpreted as a sustainable competitive edge, a resource-based advantage, or a consequence of specific campaign execution within a distinct political framework.
