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BJP hands historic defeat to Mamata in West Bengal, retains Assam
Daily Sun Report, Dhaka
Published: 04 May 2026, 05:14 PM
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters celebrate near the residence of West Bengal Chief Minister and All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) Chairperson Mamata Banerjee, along a street near her residence in Kolkata, West Bengal, India on 4 May 2026. Photo: AFP
The Hindu
nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has defeated Mamata Banerjee’s
Trinamool Congress by a huge margin at India’s West Bengal state, owing in
large part to the recent revision of electoral rolls that has systematically
excluded Muslim voters – Mamata’s voter base.
BJP, also India's central ruling party,
terms the nearly 27 lakh excluded Muslim voters, Mamata's voter base, as
illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
The conservative party's win against Trinamool Congress by over 111
seats at the local assembly elections has effectively ended Mamata’s nearly
15-year rule over the state bordering Bangladesh, according to results reported
by the Indian Express.
According
to the provincial election results out on Monday, BJP also won in Assam, where
it is the incumbent.
On Monday,
results were being published for elections to three other Indian provinces and
regions: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and the union territory of Puducherry (formerly
Pondicherry).
In the
final results in Kerala, the Indian National Congress reclaimed the state after
ten years, while BJP also made inroads with 15 seats in the traditionally secularist
province.
The
incumbent Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has lost in the state after winning
two consecutive terms since 2016.
The most eye-catching
race took place in Tamil Nadu, where film star-turned-politician Chandrasekaran
Joseph Vijay won in his debut. His centre-left party TVK defeated the incumbent
secular party in the state.
In
Puducherry, Congress’ alliance partner, NR Congress, has retained the territory.
Stay tuned for updates...
BJP eyes 25 Baishakh for oath-taking in West Bengal
Amid growing political speculation following the Assembly elections in West Bengal, high-level sources have suggested that the BJP is considering 9 May for the oath-taking ceremony of the new government, coinciding with “25 Baishakh” (birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore) in the Bengali calendar.
Sources said this date could be chosen to project a strong cultural resonance, highlighting a message rooted in the identity of Bengal. [Read More]
Mamata loses in home turf
West Bengal’s outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has
lost from Bhabanipur seat, a constituency she won in 2011 when her party defeated
the Left Front and formed the government for the first time, to BJP leader
Suvendu Adhikari. Banerjee had won the seat again in 2016 and then, returned to
her constituency through a by-poll held in 2021. [Indian Express]
Mamata claims she was attacked
Hours after both Mamata Banerjee and BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari reached Sakhawat Memorial Govt Girls’ High School counting venue on Lord Sinha Road in Kolkata, Mamata had alleged she was attacked and that the CCTV cameras were switched off.
She added that no party agent was
allowed to enter the counting centre. Mamata had arrived after her other party leaders
alleged that one of their counting agents had been forced out of the centre. [Indian
Express]
‘Loot, Loot, Loot. We'll Bounce Back’
A furious Mamata Banerjee attributed the shock West Bengal results to "loot, loot, loot", underscoring that her party, the Trinamool, will bounce back.
Mamata, who was aiming for a fourth term, targeted the Election Commission, calling it the "BJP Commission" after results showed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the lead and her party a distant second.
The BJP scored a fabulous win in West Bengal, long considered 'Missing Impossible' for the ruling party at the Centre. It has won 114 seats and is leading in 92. [Read More]
‘Lotus blooms’: Modi cheers as BJP takes over in West Bengal
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, describing it as a triumph of “people’s power” and good governance.
In a Facebook post, Modi said the election would be
remembered as a historic moment, with the people of West Bengal delivering a
decisive mandate in favour of the BJP.
“The Lotus blooms in West Bengal! The 2026 West
Bengal Assembly Elections will be remembered forever. People's power has
prevailed and BJP's politics of good governance has triumphed. I bow to each and
every person of West Bengal,” Modi said. [Read more]
Rahul Gandhi thanks Kerala voters for triumph of Congress-led bloc
“Thank you to my brothers and sisters in Keralam for a truly
decisive mandate…Congratulations to every United Democratic Front (UDF) leader
and worker for a hard-fought, well-run campaign,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
wrote on “X” following the party’s electoral triumph in Kerala state.
The Congress-led UDF alliance won total 89 seats, where
Congress alone bagged 62 seats.
Congress leader VD Satheesan said," We are grateful to
the people of Keralam. I dedicate this victory to the UDF leaders and workers.
There was anti-incumbency. We discussed a new era for future Keralam.” [NDTV]
Film star Vijay wins in Tamil Nadu
As of 4pm, election trends from Tamil Nadu suggested that
the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-turned-politician
Chandrasekaran Joseph Vijay, was in pole position to emerge as the single
largest party in the state, followed by the incumbent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(DMK) and the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
Of the state’s 234 seats, TVK is leading/winning in 109
seats, while DMK and AIADMK are leading/winning in 56 and 47 seats
respectively.
4 reasons BJP beat Mamata Banerjee
BJP party insiders have marked at least four reasons for the party’s unprecedented win in West Bengal: Rise in women vote, increased support among government employees, central government’s development assurance, and the BJP-led federal government’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) scheme that effectively weeded out the “illegal Bangladeshi Muslim voters.”
According to party insiders, women vote for BJP in the state
has risen nearly 5%. Furthermore, the party’s pledge to significantly hike
pays for government employees, as opposed to Trinamool Congress’ reservations on the issue, flipped
around "20-50 lakh votes."
There has also been a "lack" of public and industrial infrastructure in the state under Mamata’s government, according to BJP activists – a gap the right-wing party has pledged to fill. [Indian Express]