Online Desk  

A major political shift appears to have taken place in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Election, as the Bharatiya Janata Party is poised to form the government in West Bengal with an outright majority for the first time, defeating All India Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee after years of rule.

According to the latest results from the 294-member assembly, the BJP has won 206 seats, while the Trinamool Congress secured 78 seats and was leading in a few others.

One of the most talked-about developments of the election was the defeat of Mamata Banerjee in her own constituency, Bhabanipur. She lost to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who also won from Nandigram, reshaping the political equation in the state.

Following the announcement of results, celebrations erupted among BJP supporters across Kolkata and district towns, with victory rallies, colored powder celebrations, and sweet distribution taking place in many areas including Singur and Malda. Senior BJP leaders described the victory as a “mandate for change in Bengal.”

Reacting on social media, Narendra Modi said the people of West Bengal had voted in favor of development and good governance. Meanwhile, Amit Shah described the result as “the people’s answer to appeasement and fear-based politics.”

However, the All India Trinamool Congress questioned the election outcome. Mamata Banerjee alleged irregularities and manipulation in at least one hundred constituencies. She claimed there were inconsistencies during vote counting and that party agents faced obstruction at several centres.

Post-election violence has also been reported in different areas, including clashes, attacks, and vandalism. Allegations emerged of attacks on Trinamool candidates and activists, along with incidents of arson and damage to party offices. The BJP, however, denied the accusations.

Political analysts believe several factors influenced the outcome, including voter list revisions (SIR), changes in voting patterns in Muslim-majority constituencies, concerns over women’s safety, and the BJP’s strong performance in the southwestern region of the state. Analysts also view the BJP’s decision to field Suvendu Adhikari against Mamata Banerjee as a major strategic success.

Meanwhile, election results in several other Indian states also produced notable outcomes. The BJP-led alliance is set to retain power in Assam, actor Thalapathy Vijay’s party achieved major gains in Tamil Nadu, and the Congress-led UDF alliance secured victory in Kerala.