BJP registers landmark victory in West Bengal

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured a significant electoral victory in the eastern state of West Bengal, marking a major political shift in a region that had long resisted the party’s expansion.

The outcome is being viewed as one of the most consequential state election results during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure, as the BJP makes a decisive entry into eastern India after years of gradual growth.

With a population exceeding 100 million, West Bengal represents one of India’s largest and most politically influential states.

The election result ends the 15-year rule of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and follows decades of dominance by regional parties.

BJP’s rise in the state reflects a sustained increase in its vote share over multiple election cycles.

The party secured more than 44 percent of the vote, building on earlier performances where it had already emerged as a main opposition force.

The developments in West Bengal coincide with notable electoral changes in other parts of India.

In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government led by M. K. Stalin was voted out, with actor-turned-politician Vijay’s party emerging as a key winner.

In Kerala, the United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Indian National Congress, defeated the incumbent Left Democratic Front (LDF), ending the tenure of the country’s only remaining communist-led state government.

Meanwhile, in Assam, the BJP retained power, and the party along with its allies also continued to govern the union territory of Puducherry.