BJP breaches Mamata Banerjee fortress: Bengal to Tamil Nadu, two more Opposition titans fall
A senior BJP leader claimed that it was the first time since 1905 (the Bengal Partition) that Hindu consolidation had taken place in the state.
Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari (right) campaigns for BJP candidate from Kolkata port, Rakesh Singh, on Saturday. (PTI) In these Assembly elections, the BJP was seen as facing a big fight from strong regional parties and Opposition stalwarts such as the Trinamool Congress and DMK. However, true to its image, the BJP gave it all it could, and going by the early trends, it is again paying dividends for the party.
The trends at 11 am across the four states and the Union Territory of Puducherry show that the BJP is the only ruling party that withstood the momentum for change: it is set to retain power in Assam and its coalition with the All India N R Congress is returning to power in Puducherry. And, in what may be yet another validation for the Modi-Shah leadership of the BJP, the party seemed within breathing distance of power in Bengal.
Even in Tamil Nadu, where all exit polls predicted that the DMK would return to power, BJP ally AIADMK could be leaving it behind, finishing only behind the newbie TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) led by Vijay and its stunning debut.
In Assam too, where the BJP seemed clearly ahead of its rivals all through the poll campaign, the party has made further strides and looks set to increase its tally in the 126-member Assembly.
Nationally, the early trends underline the BJP’s inexorable march towards its national mission of becoming the dominant party in the East, with the “last frontier” of West Bengal seems to be going its way too. It could be also an early indication that the party will retain its premier place in national politics in the next general elections.
As a senior BJP leader put it: “This is the sweetest revenge for the setback we faced in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.”
While the DMK’s likely defeat will be welcomed by the BJP, the results seem to indicate that the South remains a tough battle for the party. In Kerala, the change momentum appears to have favoured the Congress; in Tamil Nadu, the TVK has been the beneficiary.
BJP candidates were trailing in key constituencies like Coimbatore and Nagercoil among others, and the party was ahead in only 2 seats in Tamil Nadu at 11 am.
However, the BJP will take heart from the AIADMK’s performance, despite seemingly the party’s weaknesses.
Plus, the Southern wall will not be any dampener for the BJP Monday, against its climb in Bengal, where in Mamata Banerjee, the party faced one of its toughest contenders, who put up a spirited fight till the end for a fourth consecutive term in power.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly who would be among the leading CM contenders if the party wins, has already declared a clear consolidation of Hindu votes behind the BJP. Besides, according to him, the BJP has managed to create cracks in the Muslim support base.
A senior BJP leader claimed that it was the first time since 1905 (the Bengal Partition, which was reversed two years later) that Hindu consolidation had taken place in the state. “In fact early trends indicate that wherever Hindu consolidation has taken place, the BJP is the winner – be it West Bengal or Assam,” the leader said.
While Bengal would be a victory that Union Home Minister and BJP master strategist Amit Shah would particularly savour, having spent unprecedented pre-poll time in the state, it would mark the beginning of the end of the era of Mamata Banerjee. The TMC chief was one of the last remaining big Opposition faces against the BJP.
On the eve of New Year, Shah told party colleagues in West Bengal: “Dil pe likh lo, is baar hamari sarkar (Resolve in your hearts, this time our government).” He went on to set a target of 170 seats out of 294 in Bengal for the party.
If the BJP does form the government, Shah will leave this round of Assembly elections with another feather in his much-decorated cap.
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