BJP's massive victory in Bengal

The election results in West Bengal have brought a major political shift, marking the end of the Mamata era. After the Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, came to power fifteen years ago, they achieved consecutive victories in the three elections that followed. Mamata became the Chief Minister by ending 34 years of CPM rule. Since then, not only has the CPM been unable to even come close to power, but they secured only a single seat in the 294-member Assembly this time. The CPM in Bengal, which was led by great stalwarts for over three decades, has become that irrelevant. Almost the same fate now awaits Mamata as well.

In the first election held in Bengal following the SIR, the BJP surged to victory with a two-thirds majority. With Mamata Banerjee also losing to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in Bhawanipur by 15,105 votes, a sense of political poetic justice was fulfilled. Out of 294 seats, the BJP won 206 seats, while the Trinamool Congress got 81 seats. The Congress managed just two seats. This is the first time since independence that West Bengal will have a BJP government. The BJP’s vote share increased from 38% in 2021 to 45.6% in 2026, leading to a historic victory. Like in Kerala, many ministers in Bengal also lost their seats. A strong anti-incumbency wave played a key role in the results.

Women voters had been the backbone of the Trinamool Congress, supported by several welfare schemes introduced for them. However, this time, the BJP offered more attractive women-focused schemes and promises, which drew many women voters away from the TMC. Another major factor was the removal of around 90 lakh names from the voter list as part of the SIR process. Over 60 lakh people were marked as deceased, many of whom were from the Muslim community. The voter list revision, reportedly carried out under the BJP's direction, significantly impacted TMC's chances.

In the past 15 years, several ministers in Bengal were jailed in corruption cases. Corruption had grown under the cover of opposing the central government. A major scam in the School Service Commission led to 26,000 teachers losing their jobs. The Mamata government also failed to provide dearness allowance (DA) to employees on par with the central government. Both urban and rural areas in Bengal faced serious issues under TMC rule, with complaints of lawlessness and the rise of middlemen. This time, heavy deployment of central forces across the state prevented voter intimidation. Actions led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah made this possible. Due to multiple economic, political, and social factors, Mamata Banerjee’s return to power now seems highly unlikely. The BJP’s massive victory in Bengal has significantly boosted its political standing.
Mamata Banerjee, who lost power due to multiple economic, political, and social factors, is now unlikely to make a return to power in the future. The massive victory in Bengal has significantly boosted the political graph of the BJP.