Bengal deadliest recorded cyclones. West Bengal became one of India's most populous states. Calcutta, the former capital of the British Raj, became the state capital of West Bengal and continued to be India's largest city until the late 20th century, when severe power shortages, strikes and a violent Marxist-Naxalite movement damaged much of the state's infrastructure in the 1960s and 70s, leading to a period of economic stagnation. West Bengal politics underwent a major change when the Left Front won the 1977 assembly election, defeating the incumbent Indian National Congress. The Left Front, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Economy of West Bengal Economy of West Bengal West Bengal has the sixth largest economy in India with . It is primarily dependent on agriculture and medium-sized industry, although services and heavy industries play an increasingly significant role in the economy of the state. Years after independence, West Bengal was still dependent on the central government for meeting its demands for food as production remained stagnant and the Green Revolution bypassed the state. However, there has been a significant spurt in food production since the 1980s. The state is now one of the few with a surplus, producing nearly 20% of the rice and