Narendra Modi on Monday claimed a \u201crecord\u201d victory in key elections in the opposition-held state of West Bengal, as official trends and partial results showed a sweeping majority for his Hindu nationalist party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Votes were still being counted under tight security in the state of more than 100 million people. West Bengal was one of five states and territories that held elections in April and May, with results being announced on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The outcome is expected to strengthen Modi\u2019s position as he navigates economic and foreign policy challenges, including high unemployment and a pending US trade deal, ahead of a general election scheduled for 2029.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In closely contested West Bengal, where Modi\u2019s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had never previously won, the party was leading in 156 of the 293 seats and had already secured 48 others, according to the Election Commission of India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections will be remembered forever,\u201d Modi said on social media. \u201cPeople\u2019s power has prevailed and BJP\u2019s politics of good governance has triumphed.\u201d He added that the party\u2019s record win would not have been possible without the efforts and struggles of countless karyakartas<\/em> (workers) over generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senior party leaders and thousands of supporters celebrated in the streets of Kolkata, dancing and rejoicing following the victory trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The BJP, which governs at the national level, ran an aggressive campaign to unseat the powerful regional party led by Mamata Banerjee, who has been in power in the state since 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Banerjee alleged that the BJP had \u201cstolen more than 100 seats.\u201d \u201cDo you think this is a victory? It is an immoral victory, not a moral victory,\u201d she said, according to ANI. \u201cIt is loot, loot, loot. We will bounce back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clashes were reported outside several counting centres across the state, where police used batons to disperse crowds. Elections in the region have previously been marred by violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The campaign also saw protests over the removal of millions of names from voter rolls, officially described as an effort to eliminate ineligible voters. Critics, however, argued that the move disproportionately affected marginalised and minority communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In another major development, veteran politician M. K. Stalin lost his seat in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stalin\u2019s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) finished a distant second to a party founded by actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vijay, 51, one of India\u2019s most prominent film stars, launched his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in 2024, focusing on youth employment and governance in the industrial state of more than 80 million people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Results showed Stalin, 73, lost his Kolathur stronghold to TVK candidate V. S. Babu, in a surprising outcome that defied most exit poll predictions suggesting a DMK victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis result shows that the youth want a new face. It is not just anti-incumbency,\u201d political scientist Ramu Manivanan told AFP. He added that Vijay\u2019s popularity among women as a film star also played a role in influencing the outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In neighbouring Kerala, the Congress-led alliance defeated the ruling Communists, winning 63 out of 97 seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Congress leader Rahul Gandhi thanked voters in Kerala for what he described as a \u201ctruly decisive mandate\u201d and praised party workers for delivering a \u201chard-fought, well-run campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The BJP also retained power in the northeastern state of Assam and in the coastal territory of Puducherry, where it is part of the ruling coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma celebrated a \u201chat-trick\u201d victory as the BJP secured power in the state for a third consecutive term, in a region with a population of over 31 million.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Narendra Modi on Monday claimed a \u201crecord\u201d victory in key elections in the opposition-held state of West Bengal, as official trends and partial results showed a sweeping majority for his… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2101,19,18,2102],"class_list":["post-3757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-bjp","tag-india","tag-modi","tag-west-bengal"],"yoast_head":"\n