As Bengal votes in Phase 1, Dilip Ghosh projects a strong BJP showing, questions TMC’s candidate choices and flags concerns over election conditions across key constituencies.
BJP leader Dilip Ghosh during an interaction with media amid Phase 1 polling in West Bengal on Thursday. (ANI)
As polling got underway in the first phase of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, BJP’s Kharagpur Sadar candidate Dilip Ghosh came out swinging on Thursday, talking up his party’s chances while taking sharp digs at the ruling Trinamool Congress and other rivals.
The remarks come amid a keen contest between the Trinamool Congress, which is seeking a fourth straight term under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the BJP, which is looking to build on its previous performance and push for power in the state.
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Speaking to ANI, Ghosh said, “The BJP’s major influence area is in North and South Bengal, and I think the BJP will win more than 100 seats there. The path to victory will be clear from here…”
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He went further, asserting that the party could see a sweeping result early in the election cycle. “BJP is going to get around 100 seats in the first phase itself,” he added.
Ghosh also questioned the Trinamool Congress’s choice of candidates, alleging that local voices are sidelined. “Mamata Banerjee repeatedly calls the BJP an outsider party, but the people of Bengal do not get a chance in TMC. Who is Yusuf Pathan? Who is Shatrughan Sinha? Who is Kirti Azad?” he said.
Stepping up his attack on the Chief Minister, Ghosh linked campaign messaging to what he described as governance failures. “Mamata Banerjee is going to lose the election, that is why she is talking about fish and rice (Machali Bhat), but Mamata Banerjee does not know that Bengali people have to import fish and eggs from other states to eat. Fish production has declined in Bengal under the TMC government,” he said.
Ghosh also flagged concerns about the conduct of elections, calling for a fear-free voting process. “The Election Commission faced a huge challenge in conducting a fear-free election in Bengal. I hope the public will exercise their right to vote without any fear,” he said.
Turning to national politics, Ghosh criticised the Congress leadership. “Congress is unable to find a hardworking president. Mallikarjun Kharge speaks anything, and the BJP benefits from it,” he said.
He added, “Whenever Congress has made personal attacks on Modi, the BJP has benefited from it.”
West Bengal is witnessing a direct contest between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP across 294 Assembly seats. According to the Election Commission of India, the first phase covers 152 constituencies, with the remaining 142 seats going to polls in the second phase. A total of 1,478 candidates are in the fray in this phase.
Counting of votes will take place on May 4.
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