Landslide win in key state marks first ever BJP government in Kolkata, while Congress returns to power in Kerala and actor-politician Vijay stuns Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam DMK in Tamil Nadu.
India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured a record victory in West Bengal, defeating the region’s long‑standing populist leader Mamata Banerjee and capturing a state that had resisted Hindu nationalist rule for decades. The result, one of several assembly election outcomes announced on Tuesday, dramatically reshapes the political map of eastern and southern India ahead of the next general election in 2029.
“People’s power has triumphed” – Modi hails Bengal breakthrough
With votes still being counted under heavy security in the state of more than 100 million people, the latest data from the Election Commission of India showed the BJP winning 190 seats – well beyond the 148 needed for a majority in the West Bengal legislative assembly. It is the party’s first ever victory in the state.
“The 2026 West Bengal assembly elections will be remembered forever,” the 75‑year‑old prime minister wrote on social media. “People’s power has triumphed, and the BJP’s politics of good governance has prevailed.”
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi also paid tribute to party workers: “The BJP’s victory in West Bengal would have been impossible without the efforts and struggles of countless party workers across generations.”
Celebrations erupted in the state capital, Kolkata, where senior BJP leaders and thousands of supporters danced in the streets to victory tunes.
Banerjee vows to fight back after losing own seat
The national ruling party ran an aggressive campaign against Banerjee’s regional party, which had held power in West Bengal since 2011. The campaign was marked by protests over the removal of millions of names from voter lists – officially described as a purge of ineligible voters, but which critics alleged targeted marginalised and minority communities.
A defiant Mamata Banerjee, 71, accused the BJP of colluding with the Election Commission. “The BJP have stolen more than 100 seats. The Election Commission is the BJP’s commission,” she told reporters in Kolkata, promising to “come back.”
Banerjee also lost her own constituency of Babanipur, defeated by the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari by more than 15,000 votes.
BJP strengthens grip on east; Assam, Puducherri also fall in line
Political analyst Sudhila Ramaswamy described the result as “a stunning victory” that consolidates the party’s hold over eastern India.
“It also shows the effectiveness of the BJP’s election machine – how detailed and efficient their campaign is,” she told AFP. “And it reaffirms the BJP’s national dominance.”
The BJP returned to power for a third consecutive term in the north‑eastern state of Assam, and joined the ruling coalition in the small coastal territory of Puducherry.
Shock in Tamil Nadu: Veteran leader Stalin unseated by actor‑turned‑politician Vijay
In another major political upset, M.K. Stalin, the 73‑year‑old chief of Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), lost his own constituency of Kolathur to a challenger from the fledgling TVK party, founded by the popular actor S. Joseph Vijay.
The DMK came second overall in the southern industrial state of more than 80 million people, trailing the debutant TVK, which ran on a platform of youth jobs and good governance.
“This result in Tamil Nadu shows that young people want a new face. It is not simply an anti‑incumbency vote,” said political scientist Ramu Manivanan. “Everything Vijay has done as an actor – he has a huge female fan base, as film stars often do – influenced the outcome.”
Congress ends communist rule in Kerala
In neighbouring Kerala, a Congress‑led alliance defeated the Left Democratic Front after two consecutive terms, bringing down India’s last communist state government.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi thanked the people of Kerala for “a truly decisive mandate” and praised party activists for running “a tough, well‑organised campaign”.
