BJP secures landmark victory in West Bengal, ending Mamata Banerjee’s long rule

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have secured a historic victory in West Bengal, defeating Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and ending her party’s 15-year rule in the state.

Early election results showed the BJP leading or winning around 200 of the state’s 294 assembly seats.

Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress was trailing far behind with fewer than 90 seats.

The BJP had previously never governed West Bengal and won only 77 seats during the last state election in 2021.

Many analysts linked the BJP’s breakthrough to strong campaigning, religious polarisation and growing dissatisfaction with the TMC government.

Seema Das, a domestic worker who travelled from New Delhi to vote in her village, said to Al Jazeera that she changed her support after family discussions. “Didi has lost the track and only appeases Muslims to stay in power,” she said, referring to Banerjee by her popular nickname.

Political analyst Rahul Verma of Shiv Nadar University told Al Jazeera there was “visible support for Mamta” but also growing frustration with the ruling party.

“There is anti-incumbency against the TMC machinery, and people were not happy with their interference in everyday life,” Verma said.

The result is being viewed as one of the BJP’s most significant state election victories in recent years.