Saffron wave reaches Bengal: How BJP-led surge expands footprint across India map
The BJP surged past the majority mark in West Bengal as counting showed the TMC collapsing across the state. Celebrations by party workers and Suvendu Adhikari's remarks underlined the scale of the political reversal.
by Sonali Verma · India TodayIn Short
- Suvendu Adhikari predicts a government with over 180 seats and mocked rivals
- Mamata Banerjee lead in Bhabanipur, while trends swing sharply through morning
- BJP expands influence nationally, strong gains in Assam and Puducherry
The streets of West Bengal turned saffron on Monday as Bharatiya Janata Party workers poured out in celebration, distributing laddoos and raising slogans, marking what appears to be the end of Mamata Banerjee's 15-year grip on the state.
With the BJP leading in 194 seats out of 294 in the assembly elections, the ruling All India Trinamool Congress was reduced to 94 constituencies, a dramatic collapse for a party that had swept 216 seats as recently as 2021. The numbers tell a story of a swift and sweeping reversal.
"The BJP will form a government with more than 180 seats," declared Suvendu Adhikari, contesting from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur. He added, with barely concealed triumph, "Rone dijiye. Khatam poora khatam. (Let them cry. It's over, it's all over.)"
FROM ZERO TO MAJORITY
The scale of the BJP's rise in Bengal is staggering when viewed against the historical arc. The party held zero seats in the state in both 2006 and 2011, the very elections that swept Mamata Banerjee to power on the back of anti-Left sentiment.
By 2016, the BJP had scraped together just three seats.
The 2021 elections marked the first real saffron surge, with the party winning 77 seats, significant, but still well short of power.
In 2026, that number has vaulted to 194, crossing the majority mark of 148 in a 294-seat house.
The Left, which once dominated Bengal with 227 seats in 2006, has been reduced to a rump, leading in just two seats. Congress, too, is down to one.
BHABANIPUR: THE DEFINING DUEL
Even as the broader trend ran heavily against the TMC, Chief Minister Banerjee was leading in her Bhabanipur constituency by 16,706 votes over Adhikari after five rounds of counting. The contest saw sharp swings through the morning, a reflection of just how volatile the early trends remained.
In Nandigram, the other high-profile battlefield, Adhikari held a lead of over 3,135 votes against TMC's Pabitra Kar after two rounds of counting.
RECORD TURNOUT ACROSS BENGAL
West Bengal recorded its highest-ever voter turnout since independence, with 91.66% polling in Phase-II of the elections. Phase-I had seen a turnout of 93.19%, bringing the combined voter participation to 92.47%, numbers that suggest this was no ordinary election.
The BJP's strongest advances came from north Bengal and the tribal-dominated Jangalmahal region, where the party has been steadily expanding over several years. The TMC retained some ground in parts of Kolkata and adjoining urban belts, but not enough to hold back the tide.
SAFFRON MAP GROWS WIDER
Bengal is only the latest addition to what the BJP posted on its official social media handle as a map of 'Modimay Bharat', an India increasingly coloured saffron. The party's footprint now spans Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Bihar, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and now Puducherry and West Bengal.
"From the heartland to Bengal, the map isn't just expanding, it's the belief of a nation determined to progress," the BJP said. "North to Northeast, the colour shift is no longer subtle. Bengal is simply the latest chapter in a story that's already well underway."
OTHER STATES: A MIXED PICTURE
Elsewhere, counting threw up contrasting results. In Assam, the BJP put in a dominant performance, winning six seats outright and leading in 73 more out of 126 constituencies. Its ally AGP won one seat and led in eight, while Congress trailed with leads in 24 seats.
In Kerala, the Congress-led United Democratic Front secured a comfortable lead, with Congress winning six seats and leading in 55. The ruling CPI(M) won four and led in 23. The BJP, which had harboured hopes of making inroads in the state, led in just two seats.
Tamil Nadu produced a political sensation of its own. New entrant Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the party floated by actor C Joseph Vijay, led in 112 out of 234 seats, a stunning debut. The AIADMK was second with leads in 58 constituencies, while the ruling DMK trailed at third with 47. PMK led in five seats and Congress in four.
In Puducherry, the ruling All India NR Congress won 9 seats and led in one, while Congress won one. The BJP won two and led in two more.
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