BJP Wins West Bengal Election, Breaking TMC's 15-Year Hold

India's Bharatiya Janata Party claimed victory in West Bengal on Monday, conquering one of the toughest political frontiers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 12-year tenure.

West Bengal had long resisted the BJP's advance despite the party's success across India's Hindi-speaking heartland, west, and north-east. The state, home to more than 100 million voters, saw the BJP secure over 44 percent of the vote, up from around 39 percent in recent elections. Author and journalist Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay called it "a big victory for the BJP - a land of promise that has long eluded its grasp."

The win ousted Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress after three terms and 15 years in power. The state had known just one government change in nearly 50 years, with the Communist Left Front ruling for 34 years before TMC took over. Political scientist Rahul Verma of Shiv Nadar Law School noted the BJP had polled near 39-40 percent for three elections and needed just 5-6 percent more to win.

Elsewhere, actor-turned-politician Vijay's TVK party swept aside MK Stalin's DMK government in Tamil Nadu. Kerala's Congress-led United Democratic Front defeated the Left Democratic Front, ending India's last Communist-led state government. The BJP held power in Assam and, with allies, in Puducherry.

TMC had built support among women, Muslims, and Hindus through welfare schemes. A 2021 Lokniti-CSDS survey showed TMC with 50 percent support among women, four points higher than among men. This time, BJP promised larger cash transfers and expanded benefits. Political scientist Bhanu Joshi said Banerjee's success balanced welfare and organization, but "the very organisation that sustained her for 15 years also became her Achilles' heel." Joshi added that BJP turned anti-TMC fatigue into Hindu consolidation, as welfare alone could no longer contain polarization.

Muslims form 27 percent of the population and dominate nearly a third of seats. TMC won 84 of 88 such seats in 2021. Political scientist Maidul Islam of Kolkata's Centre for Studies in Social Sciences said BJP paired welfare promises with polarization to consolidate Hindu votes.

BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan blamed TMC's "arrogance" and law-and-order failures, saying women voters rejected the party. A special intensive revision of electoral rolls by the Election Commission removed duplicates but left nearly three million voters in limbo. Banerjee and groups called it mass disenfranchisement hitting poor and minority voters. Analyst Yogendra Yadav predicted scrutiny in tight races.

BJP focused on TMC corruption like a teachers' recruitment scam rather than personal attacks. The victory marks a standalone conquest, unlike alliances elsewhere, and bolsters Amit Shah's position in BJP leadership.