G.B. Malison puts it ‘There never was a battle in which the consequences were so vast, so immediate and so permanent. From the very morrow of the victory the English became virtual masters of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, ‘The Battle of Plessey was of immense historical importance.
It paved the way for the British mastery of Bengal and eventually the whole of India. It boosted British prestige and at a single stroke raised them to status of a major contender for the Indian Empire. The battle of Plessey was hardly important from military view point. It was a mere skirmish.
The total casualties were 65 on company side and 500 in the Nawab’s army. The English army showed no military superiority either in maneuvered or strategy of the battle, it was desertion in Nawab’s camp that gave Clive the victory. After Mir Madan’s death treacherous commanders held the field. If Mir Jafar and Rai Durlabh had remained faithful, the outcome of the battle would have been different.
It was treason that made Clive victor. Perhaps it was in the game of diplomacy that Clive excelled. He played on the fears of the Jagat Seth, worked up the ambition of Mir Jafar and won a victory without fighting K.M. Panniker believes that Plessey war a transaction in which the rich bankers of Bengal and Mir Jafar sold out Nawab to the English.