NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday wrested control of West Bengal, an opposition stronghold, in a high-profile state election. The Election Commission released partial results showing the BJP won at least 124 seats in the 294-member West Bengal assembly and was leading in 83 others; final results were expected Monday evening.
The outcome would mark a major breakthrough for the BJP, which has long sought to dislodge the All India Trinamool Congress government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Banerjee, a prominent critic of Modi who has governed the state since 2011, had never seen her party replaced by the BJP in West Bengal. Opposition parties sharply criticized the polls after the Election Commission removed millions of voters from electoral rolls.
Three other states also held elections. The results strengthen Modi’s standing midway through his third term and bolster the BJP’s position nationally after the 2024 national election forced it to rely on regional allies to form a government. Modi, addressing supporters at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, said the outcome showed the party’s widening appeal in a state where it had historically struggled. He called it “a new chapter” for Bengal. His party’s gains are likely to weaken Banerjee’s influence within an opposition bloc already divided by regional rivalries; she had been a key figure attempting to unite regional parties against the BJP.
In Tamil Nadu, popular film star Joseph Vijay, who founded the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party two years ago, defeated the ruling DMK—continuing the state’s tradition of electing movie stars to chief offices. In Kerala, the Indian National Congress-led opposition ended the communists’ rule, ousting a long-standing leftist government. The BJP also returned to power in Assam for a third consecutive term.
India, a country of more than 1.4 billion people, has 28 states and eight federal territories and holds staggered state elections across the year. Modi is expected to seek a fourth term in 2029.