KOLKATA: After retaining strength in its traditional stronghold in north Bengal, the BJP has made spectacular gains in the Presidency division and south Bengal districts, traditional strongholds of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC)—winning the maximum number of seats.
BJP leader Sayantan Bose said the mandate reflects opposition to the “misrule” of the Trinamool Congress government over the past 15 years. “No political party in Bengal can come to power without Muslim votes, this myth is over now. We have received votes from people belonging to all castes and creeds,” he said.
The Presidency division, which includes densely populated political districts such as Kolkata, Howrah, Nadia, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas, accounts for 111 of the state’s 294 Assembly seats.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress had secured 123 out of 142 seats in south Bengal, which includes the Presidency division except Murshidabad, with its 22 constituencies. The BJP had won only 18 seats.
For the first time, the BJP has breached the Trinamool Congress stronghold in these regions, driven not only by an anti-incumbency wave but also by a steady erosion of the TMC’s Muslim and women voter base.
In the Presidency area, the BJP has surged from zero to 55 seats, while the TMC’s tally has more than halved to 51 compared with the last Assembly elections.
The region had been the backbone of the TMC’s rise from 89 seats in 2011 to 91 in 2016, and peaking at 96 in 2021.
The Trinamool Congress has been virtually decimated in south Bengal districts such as Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram, West Bardhaman, East Midnapore and Hooghly.
Kolkata’s 11 seats have historically delivered large margins, while districts such as North 24 Parganas (33 seats), South 24 Parganas (31), Nadia (17) and Howrah (16) are far more competitive.
Kolkata has recorded steady growth for the BJP, which has already won the Shyampukur constituency, defeating heavyweight minister Shashi Panja, and is leading in other seats such as Entally, Beleghata and Maniktala, all previously considered part of the TMC’s urban stronghold.
In 2021, the BJP had won only five out of 33 seats in North 24 Parganas, while the remaining seats went to the Trinamool Congress.
In South 24 Parganas, the TMC had won all 31 constituencies in the last Assembly elections.
The party failed to open its account in South 24 Parganas, Howrah, and large parts of Kolkata. That distribution mattered.
The BJP’s gains are not confined to a single pocket. While it is ahead in Medinipur, an area with a significant ST and SC population, it has also made inroads into key constituencies within the Presidency belt.
A similar pattern is emerging in the northern suburban belt, with the BJP ahead in Dum Dum and Dum Dum North. The biggest upset, however, is unfolding in Diamond Harbour, widely regarded as Abhishek Banerjee’s bastion, where BJP candidate Dipak Kumar Haldar has moved ahead.
The Presidency division has historically signalled political turning points. The Left Front’s decline was first visible here before it lost power in 2011. The current shift, under an incumbent Trinamool Congress government, carries similar weight.
Significantly, the TMC has not lost the Presidency region outright, but it no longer dominates it, according to the emerging trends.
Political analyst Subhomoy Moitra said the BJP has performed strongly in many minority-dominated districts, despite not fielding any Muslim candidates across Bengal’s 294 Assembly seats.