As the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) registered a historic win in the Bihar Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared in Delhi, “The Ganga flows through Bihar and reaches Bengal” -- shifting the spotlight immediately to West Bengal, which goes to polls next year.
“Bihar has also paved the way for the BJP's victory in Bengal. I also congratulate the brothers and sisters of Bengal. Now, together with you, the BJP will uproot jungle raj from West Bengal as well,” the Prime Minister said, signalling his intent to challenge Mamata Banerjee’s stronghold next.
BJP turns focus to West Bengal
Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry will go to polls in 2026.
West Bengal, with its 294-member assembly, is the largest and most crucial battleground among these states, giving the BJP a chance to significantly widen its influence in the East.
Winning the state would mark the dismantling of the TMC’s 14-year dominance and help counter the narrative that the BJP’s base is limited to North India.
The BJP saw its vote share to 38.1 per cent in the 2021 West Bengal polls, converting the surge into 77 seats (from three). Its emergence as the principal opposition in the state strengthened confidence within the party -- which has set its sights on winning more seats in 2026.
BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya, when asked in an interview if the BJP could take on Mamata Banerjee in her stronghold, dismissed the idea that the party was still a marginal player in West Bengal.
“You undermine the BJP," he told NDTV, pointing that the party had gone from three seats to 77 in the 2021 assembly polls.
"We do acknowledge that the BJP has never been in power in Bengal after independence. But the kind of performance that we put in 2021 was spectacular. We rose from three seats to 77. And we have a 40 per cent vote share. Don't forget that across the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha elections, the BJP has held on to its vote share in Bengal,” he added.
The BJP leader said rising public anger against the Trinamool Congress government would define the political battle ahead in Bengal.
He pointed to the past five years being marred by events like Sandeshkhali, the RG Kar episode, communal flare-ups in Malda and Murshidabad, and what he termed “death and destruction across the state.”
BJP leaders gear up for West Bengal polls
Soon after the Bihar election results pointed towards NDA’s win, celebrations began at the Bengal BJP headquarters, with supporters raising ‘Next is Bengal’ slogans.
Bengal BJP state president Shamik Bhattacharya told News18: “The next fight is Bengal. We are confident that TMC’s ‘visarjan’ will happen next. People have already come out on the streets against the TMC. We have defeated Didi’s brother Arvind Kejriwal, then Haryana, then Maharashtra, then Bihar -- now it is time for Bengal.”
According to BJP insiders, the party plans to shift its entire focus on Bengal after Bihar results. Senior leader Bhupendra Yadav is likely to arrive in Kolkata to conduct a series of meetings as the BJP readies an aggressive push against the TMC.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, however, firmly dismissed claims that the Bihar mandate would influence the political landscape in Bengal. “That is Bihar’s equation. It has no connection with Bengal; With 250 plus seats, Mamata Banerjee will become chief minister again,” he asserted.
As both camps traded barbs within hours of the Bihar verdict, the first echoes of the 2026 Bengal showdown grew louder -- one side energised by renewed momentum, the other projecting confidence and readiness for the battle ahead.
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