"Generations Waited for This Dawn": BJP Wins West Bengal for First Time as Modi Expands Dominance – Tamil Nadu Gets New King

4 May 2026 | New Delhi / Kolkata / Chennai

NEW DELHI – The fortress has fallen. After 15 years, Mamata Banerjee's West Bengal – one of the last remaining opposition strongholds in India – has been breached.

Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won a historic election victory in West Bengal, capturing the state for the first time ever. The party is set to win more than 205 out of 294 seats – a landmark majority that reshapes India's political landscape.

"Generations had waited for this new dawn in West Bengal's politics," Prime Minister Modi declared at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, as jubilant supporters waved party flags and burst firecrackers.

Bhabanipur's Earthquake: Suvendu Defeats Didi

The night's most stunning result came from Bhabanipur – Mamata Banerjee's own constituency. BJP's Suvendu Adhikari defeated the TMC chief by a margin of over 15,000 votes. He also won Nandigram by over 9,600 votes.

"Hats off to the people of Bhabanipur," Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in a post on X. "Their mandate has made it clear what fate awaits an anarchic ruler."

The defeat of Banerjee – one of Modi's most outspoken critics – is deeply symbolic. For 15 years, she had been a thorn in the BJP's side, a regional satrap who defied the central government's agenda. On Monday, her reign ended.

In Sandeshkhali, another TMC stronghold, BJP's Sanat Sardar won by 17,510 votes. Sardar polled 1,07,189 votes against TMC candidate Jharna Sardar. The message was clear: Bengal wanted change.

The Numbers: A Landslide for the BJP

As of 11 pm on Monday, the BJP had won 199 seats and was leading in seven more. The Trinamool Congress, which had ruled West Bengal since 2011, won 69 seats and had leads in 12. The Congress and the Aam Janata Unnayan party won two seats each. The CPI(M) and AISF won a seat each.

It was the first time the BJP had ever won assembly elections in West Bengal – a state Modi had long coveted. The victory furthers the Hindu nationalist party's unfettered control over state and central governments, as it expands its influence over the eastern part of the country.

Since Modi became prime minister in 2014, the BJP's dominance over Indian politics has continued to grow. The party now controls 20 of India's 28 states. The opposition, fractured and divided by infighting, seems powerless to stop the juggernaut.

The Controversy: 2.7 Million Voters Removed

The result followed a highly controversial exercise by the BJP government to revise West Bengal's electoral roll, under the guise of "purging" it of illegal voters. As a result of the project, called a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), more than 2.7 million voters were removed from the vote register.

Analysis showed that Muslims and other minorities – who traditionally do not support the BJP – were disproportionately targeted. Many had not been allowed to challenge their expulsion in time for the polls.

Critics and TMC leaders alleged the SIR exercise was an attempt by the BJP to skew the election in their favour – a charge the government denied.

Rahul Verma, a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in Delhi, said that while the SIR exercise was unlikely to have swung the entire vote for the BJP, it nonetheless played "a marginal but still important role in these results."

Why Bengal Fell: Anti-Incumbency and Hindu Consolidation

Verma said the BJP's win in West Bengal was the culmination of a "seven-year project" by the party leadership and cadre. He cited anti-incumbency and strong dissatisfaction with TMC – particularly its interference in daily life – as critical factors that cost it votes.

The BJP had run a much smoother campaign than in previous years, when it had been criticised as "outsiders" who threatened Bengali cultural and linguistic identity.

"The BJP had a strong and well-organised presence in West Bengal, and Modi is seen as a charismatic leader," said Verma. "This kind of result also wouldn't have happened without a consolidation of the Hindu vote."

Modi himself dedicated the victory to the people of the state. "People's power has prevailed, and BJP's politics of good governance has triumphed," he said. "I bow to each and every person of West Bengal."

Assam and Puducherry: More Victories for BJP

On Monday, the BJP was also re-elected in the eastern state of Assam, further consolidating its grip on the northeast. The party also won in the small territory of Puducherry.

The victories signal a return to the strong political momentum the BJP claimed before the 2024 general election, when it lost its outright majority in parliament. Looking back, Verma said, "2024 now seems like a temporary setback to BJP. They have returned to their dominant position."

Southern Shock: Vijay's TVK Topples Stalin in Tamil Nadu

While the BJP celebrated in the north and east, a different kind of political earthquake shook the south. In Tamil Nadu, political newcomer and former film star C. Joseph Vijay led his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party to power in a stunning debut.

TVK secured victory in 105 constituencies and was leading in two as of 11 pm. The DMK, led by MK Stalin, won 58 seats – a crushing defeat for the party that had ruled the state.

Vijay himself won the Perambur constituency by a staggering margin of over 53,000 votes, polling 1,20,365 votes against DMK's RD Shekar. He also won Trichy East by over 27,000 votes, polling 91,381 votes against DMK's S Inigo Irudayaraj.

Most shockingly, DMK chief MK Stalin was defeated by TVK's VS Babu in Kolathur. "The mandate was a result of our leadership and vision. I am just an ordinary party worker. The people's support played a crucial role in the outcome," Babu said after the results.

PM Modi congratulated Vijay on his stellar debut. "Congratulations to TVK on their impressive performance," Modi said in a post on X.

Vijay's victory marks the first time a new political outfit has gained power in Tamil Nadu in almost 50 years – a testament to the actor's massive fan following and his party's campaign that tapped into widespread dissatisfaction with the DMK.

The Congress Crisis: Another Demoralizing Blow

Monday's victories dealt a further blow to the Indian National Congress, the main opposition party. The Congress faced further losses and had two of its allied opposition parties removed from power in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

In Kerala – a state with a long history of electing leftwing governments – the Congress party defeated the Communist-led alliance for the first time in a decade. But even that victory was bittersweet, as the BJP made small gains in the state.

"With every successive defeat, there is much more pressure mounting on the opposition; while the BJP looks even more invincible," Verma said.

What Comes Next?

Nonetheless, analysts emphasised the BJP could still face a volatile future. The economic impact of the Iran war and the resulting energy crisis continues to mount, with issues of mass unemployment remaining unresolved.

For now, however, the BJP is celebrating. Modi has expanded his empire. The opposition is in disarray. And a film star has become the new king of Tamil cinema – and now, of Tamil politics.

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