As Bengal verdict tilts towards BJP, Bihar leaders hail mandate
Patna, May 4
The Bharatiya Janata Party appears set for a major victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026, with trends indicating a decisive lead. As the picture of government formation becomes clearer in West Bengal, celebrations have spread to Bihar as well.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary shared a message on social media, invoking the legacy of Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
"The Bengal where Syama Prasad Mookerjee was born -- that Bengal is ours. Heartfelt congratulations to the vigilant and nationalist people of Bengal for delivering a historic mandate to the BJP. Bharat Mata Ki Jai!" he said.
Mookerjee, who was born in West Bengal and later died in Jammu and Kashmir, remains a central ideological figure for the BJP.
During the campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah repeatedly referenced his legacy while appealing to voters.
In the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, the BJP is leading in over 200 seats, suggesting that the party is on course to form the government.
Former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also congratulated the BJP-led NDA for its performance in West Bengal and other states, including Assam and Puducherry.
"The people have expressed their complete faith in the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This mandate will give new momentum to development, good governance and public welfare," he said.
At the BJP state office in Bihar, party state president Sanjay Saraogi and former Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha celebrated the party's performance with workers.
Party leaders credited the outcome to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President Nitin Nabin, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with grassroots-level efforts by party workers.
Party leaders have described the result as a strong endorsement of governance and development-oriented politics.
They also framed it as a broader political message reflecting voter sentiment on key issues.
While trends indicate a decisive outcome, the final results are subject to official confirmation by the Election Commission of India.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As a Bengali living in Delhi, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, we need change from TMC's corruption, but I worry about the aggressive Hindutva agenda. Let's see if BJP focuses on development or divides communities in Bengal like they did elsewhere.
Nitish Kumar congratulating BJP? Kya baat hai! This shows how politics works in India. One day you're against them, next day you're praising Modi ji. But seriously, West Bengal deserves better infrastructure and law and order. Good riddance to Mamata.
Interesting to see how politics plays out in different states. From an outsider's view, this seems like a big shift. Hope the development promises are kept and minority communities aren't marginalized in the process. Always a concern with BJP, sadly.
The mandate is clear - people want Modi's development model. We've seen what happened in Bengal under TMC - no industry, no investment, just appeasement politics. Now let's see BJP's track record in other states. Hope they deliver on their promises for Bengal's youth employment.
One thing I appreciate is how they're connecting it to Syama Prasad Mookerjee - a true nationalist who wasn't sectarian. But I'm skeptical about ground-level implementation. Bihar also voted for 'development' in 2014 and look where we are. Let's wait and watch before celebrating too much.
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