Early counting trends in West Bengal show BJP opening a wide lead over TMC, with party leaders calling it a decisive shift driven by voters seeking change.
File Photo: IANS
With early trends in the West Bengal Assembly elections showing a clear edge for the Bharatiya Janata Party, the party on Monday framed the numbers as a public push for change, saying voters had chosen to “defeat fear”.
The Election Commission of India’s trends around 1 pm showed the BJP leading in 185 seats, while the Trinamool Congress was ahead in 91, opening up a wide gap between the two sides and setting the tone for a potentially decisive outcome.
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Reacting to the developments, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said the trends were in line with what exit polls had suggested and pointed towards a larger shift in the state’s political mood.
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“The signals given by the exit polls and the trends that are coming are pointing in the same direction — that there is a wave of nationalism in Bengal. The trends will soon turn into results, and the wave will take the form of a tsunami,” he told IANS.
He also linked the conduct of the elections to the party’s leadership, saying, “The conduct of these polls in a peaceful, fair and free manner, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, HM Amit Shah, Suvendu Adhikari and Samik Bhattacharya, and all others, is a sign of revolution.”
BJP national spokesperson Rohan Gupta echoed the sentiment, expressing confidence that the party’s lead would only strengthen as counting progressed.
“The trends will be consolidated in favour of the BJP, and this is not a wave but a tsunami. This is the voice of the people of West Bengal. As Prime Minister Modi said, the people of West Bengal are fighting a battle for freedom. Today, together with the BJP, the voice of the people of West Bengal has won,” he said.
“I believe this is the people’s victory. I would especially like to thank the people of West Bengal for achieving this victory by defeating fear. People were suppressed by fear, and this time they voted for the change; they had had enough. The BJP will fulfil all aspirations of the people of the state,” Gupta added.
Another spokesperson, Rajiv Jaitley, described the emerging picture as a turning point for the state.
“The vanvaas of the people of Bengal is finally coming to an end. The people never wanted the Trinamool Congress to win; they knew that if TMC won, they would not let people live in Bengal. The BJP, on its own strength, is leading in Bengal now,” he told IANS.
With counting still underway, the BJP leadership remains confident that the early advantage will translate into a decisive mandate.
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