Despite BJP’s poor performance in the six Assembly by-elections, West Bengal BJP president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar confidently stated that they will claim power in Bengal in 2026 through the people’s mandate.

Echoing his sentiment, West Bengal’s Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari remarked, “Don’t get worried. In these by-elections, the ruling Trinamul’s rigging machinery played a bigger role than the people’s mandate. BJP will also win these six Assembly constituency seats and come to power in 2026.” Even in this dismal situation, Sukanta Majumdar made bold claims about Bengal’s future under BJP. He said, “This is how by-elections typically unfold. In many areas, people didn’t even get to vote. But in 2026, the BJP will come to power in Bengal. For example, we lost the Kaliaganj by-election in 2019 but won it in the 2021 Assembly elections. By-elections are not the yardstick for judgment.”

Advertisement

Countering these claims, Trinamul Congress leader Kunal Ghosh mocked, “He’s dreaming an impossible dream. Why should we stop him from dreaming? The people of Bengal have stood by Mamata Banerjee’s development, are still with her, and will continue to support her in the future.” Ghosh accused BJP leaders of making such statements to cover up their failures in the by-elections. Former BJP state president Dilip Ghosh described the results as “expected,” though he admitted that he had anticipated a tougher fight in Madarihat. However, there was no real contest. According to him, the BJP virtually “surrendered” to the ruling party. Notably, TMC had never won the Madarihat constituency in any previous election.

This tea garden-adjacent seat was held by the RSP, a Left ally, from 1977 to 2016. BJP’s Manoj Tigga won it in 2016 and 2021 but contested for the Lok Sabha this time and won the Alipurduar seat, necessitating the by-election. The TMC won this by-election as BJP leaders were visibly less active during the campaign. The ruling party had a relatively clear path, which was reflected in the results. Six months ago, the BJP faced setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections in Bengal, and the situation worsened in these by-elections. However, the state BJP refused to term this a “disaster.” BJP Rajya Sabha MP Shamik Bhattacharya stated, “Every election victory or defeat teaches political lessons. But we don’t see this as a catastrophe.” He added, “After Indira Gandhi’s death, the BJP won just two seats nationally. Many said the party would disappear. From there, we have reached this position across the country.”

Senior Congress leader and former Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, alleged that Trinamul’s hooligans did not allow people to vote freely. He claimed that if spontaneous voting were allowed, the TMC would have been wiped out from Bengal. Naihati’s Congress candidate and senior Pradesh Congress leader Paresh Chandra Sarkar said that the Left-Congress alliance remains relevant. He added, “In 2011, Congress allied with Trinamul got a good result. Then came the Left, and now Congress is going solo in this by-election. Hence, the results are what they are.” CPI(ML) candidate for Naihati backed by Left Front Debajyoti Majumdar, admitted that they failed to connect with the people’s mindset and convey the relevance of the alliance.