BJP Sweeps West Bengal: Landslide Victory Ends 15 Years of Trinamool Congress Rule Across Multiple Districts

The party’s performance extended beyond district-level victories, as it won 206 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Legislative Assembly, securing a more than two-thirds majority and bringing an end to 15 years of rule by the Trinamool Congress, which was reduced to around 80 seats in a significant political reversal.

The results reflected a widespread electoral shift across regions, from the hills of northern West Bengal to the central southern areas, with the BJP’s campaign strategy aligning with its projection that the Trinamool Congress would fail to secure representation in multiple districts.

Purba Medinipur emerged as the strongest BJP stronghold, where the party achieved a clean sweep of all 16 seats, improving upon its previous performance of 15 seats to one. The constituency influence of senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was widely acknowledged, particularly in the Kanthi region, where his political presence strengthened after his defection to the BJP in 2020. His influence was seen as a decisive factor in the party’s absolute dominance in the district.

In North Bengal, the BJP achieved total control over hill districts including Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar, which collectively accounted for 18 assembly seats. The party secured 40 out of 54 seats in the broader North Bengal region, reducing the Trinamool Congress tally from 23 seats to 14.

The electoral outcome has intensified discussions over the future of the Gorkha Territorial Administration, a semi-autonomous governing body supported by the Trinamool Congress in the hill regions. Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement promising a “permanent solution to hill issues within the constitutional framework” was interpreted by BJP Member of Parliament Raju Bista as a possible indication of restructuring or scrapping the administration if the party assumed power.

With the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha, an ally of the Trinamool Congress, losing all hill seats, its leader Anit Thapa, who also serves as the chief of the Gorkha Territorial Administration, attributed the defeat to an “overall anti-establishment voting pattern” across the state.

A local voter response reflected anticipation regarding policy decisions affecting the hills, stating expectations of a permanent solution under a government now in control at both state and national levels, acknowledging the political sensitivity surrounding any potential changes to the administration.

In Siliguri, Goutam Deb, the municipal mayor and defeated Trinamool Congress candidate, attributed the party’s poor performance to SIR deletions and administrative factors that he said adversely affected the electoral outcome.

In the central forested belt of Jungal Mahal, comprising Purulia, Bankura, and Jhargram districts, the Trinamool Congress failed to win a single seat. The party lost all nine seats in Purulia, all 12 in Bankura, and all four in Jhargram, marking a complete electoral collapse in the region.

Observers linked the outcome to shifting political alignments among the Kudmi-Mahato community, whose support reportedly moved towards the BJP due to dissatisfaction over delays in granting Scheduled Tribes status. The BJP fielded Rajesh Mahata, a former Kudmi Samaj leader, from Gopiballavpur in Jhargram, and Biswajit Mahata, son of community leader Ajit Mahata, from Joypur in Purulia, reinforcing its outreach to the community.

Additional factors cited included migration due to limited employment opportunities, internal factional divisions within the Trinamool Congress, and alleged internal organisational weaknesses linked to candidate selection issues.

In Paschim Bardhaman district, the BJP achieved a complete sweep, winning all nine assembly seats and overturning the previous Trinamool Congress hold from the 2021 assembly elections. Local party workers attributed the loss to perceived arrogance among certain leaders and a focus on personal interests over public service delivery.

Jitendra Tewari, a former Trinamool Congress leader who joined the BJP and won the Pandabeswar seat in the coal mining belt, described the mandate as a strong public endorsement for industrial revival, job creation, and improved women’s safety in the state.

The results collectively signal a major political realignment in West Bengal, ending a prolonged period of Trinamool Congress dominance and establishing the BJP as the principal governing force across multiple strategic regions of the state.