KOLKATA – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is poised to make history in West Bengal, nearing a comfortable majority in the 2026 Assembly elections. Current trends from the Election Commission of India indicate the state is on the cusp of forming its first-ever BJP-led government since India's independence, marking a significant political upheaval after 15 years of Trinamool Congress (TMC) rule.
BJP Surpasses Majority Mark
The BJP has comfortably moved past the majority threshold of 148 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, closing in on the 200-seat mark. This performance signals a major setback for the Trinamool Congress, which has governed the state for over a decade and a half. The election follows an unprecedented voter list revision under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), adding another layer of significance to the results.
In a closely watched contest, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is currently ahead by 16,706 votes in the Bhabanipur constituency after five rounds of counting, leading against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari. Adhikari, a former aide of Banerjee and now a prominent political rival, serves as the Leader of Opposition in the state.
Key Political Landscape Shifts
The electoral battle saw a direct confrontation between Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the BJP, with other parties like the Congress and the Left Front also in the fray. Adding to the complexity was a new political outfit launched by suspended Trinamool MLA Humayun Kabir, known for his proposal to construct a mosque named after Babri.
The 2026 election results represent a dramatic shift compared to the 2021 Assembly elections, where the Trinamool Congress secured a dominant 215 seats. In contrast, the BJP had emerged as the principal opposition with 77 seats, marking its strongest performance in the state at that time. The Congress and Left Front had failed to win any seats in the previous election. Mamata Banerjee, despite losing the Nandigram contest to Suvendu Adhikari in 2021, had re-entered the Assembly through a bypoll victory from Bhabanipur.
Constituency-Wise Updates
As counting continues across the state's 294 constituencies, detailed results for individual seats are being compiled. Voters across West Bengal have delivered a verdict that reshapes the political future of the state, with widespread reports of violence breaking out in some areas following the declaration of results.