The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to rewrite history in West Bengal and oust Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) from power after 15 years. The saffron party, whose election campaign was led by its senior leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will form the government for a first in a state where Left-wing politics was dominant for most of its history.
According to the latest trends available on the official website of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the BJP has taken a lead on 193 seats, which is way more than what it received in the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections. On the contrary, the TMC, which had a two-third majority in West Bengal before this election, is leading on 94 seats.
Analysts have pointed out to several reasons behind TMC's historic loss, especially the RG Kar rape-murder incident. They have blamed TMC's handling of affairs in the case as a key reason for its loss, as the incident played a key role in mobilising women and youths against Banerjee's party. Plus, the BJP fielding the victim's mother Ratna Debnath from the Panihati assembly constituency did not help the TMC either.
In addition to this, women and the youth, particularly the GenZ and GenX, were getting restive of the TMC because of non-performance, goondaism and forced cut-money by TMC's lower rank workers. Banerjee's image was also stained by the crores of money that was seized from the residence of the close aide of TMC leader Partha Chatterjee.
Banerjee's strategy for the Bengal elections also wasn't correct, analysts pointed out, as she repeatedly termed the BJP as "outsiders", while the saffron party kept highlighting the corruption and TMC government's failure to handle the local grievances in the state. On its part, the BJP was also able to mobile support for itself by continuously highlighting the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh and accusing Banerjee of minority appeasement.
"The TMC had run a misleading campaign about the BJP working against the citizenship of Matuas. The party has already made it clear that all the Hindus who migrated from Bangladesh will be given citizenship while those who already are citizens won't have to worry," a BJP leader was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Meanwhile, as the BJP widens its lead over the TMC, party supremo Mamata Banerjee has refused to concede defeat, urging party workers to remain vigilant and not to lose morale. She also asserted that her party was still in the race and asked supporters to stay hopeful.
I request all counting agents and candidates to remain in strong rooms and not leave their centres. I am saying this since yesterday that the BJP votes will be shown first. In fact, counting in many centres has been paused. They are trying to manipulate the election... I want to request TMC candidates to not be disappointed. I had told you that you all will win after sunset. Just wait and watch," she said in a video message in Bengali on X.
ALSO READ - '4 May, Didi Gayi': BJP all set to end Mamata's 15-year rule to script historic upset in Bengal
