Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the Opposition in the outgoing West Bengal Assembly, on Monday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will form the next government in the state.
“BJP will form the government,” said Suvendu, seeking re‑election from Nandigram while also contesting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur, reports PTI.
He maintained that Muslim voters had not backed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) en masse this time, pointing to Bhabanipur as an example.
He told reporters, “Initially, it will be a neck‑to‑neck fight. In the first round of counting, six of the 14 booths are Muslim‑majority. They used to get 90–95 percent of those votes last time, but it didn’t happen this time; there is a crack. I am leading in the eight Hindu booths. From round nine‑10 in Bhabanipur, I will be leading.”
The BJP leader added that anti‑incumbency sentiment and Hindu consolidation in favor of the BJP’s lotus symbol were working in his party’s favour. He also claimed Muslim votes had split in districts such as Malda, Murshidabad and Uttar Dinajpur.
Vote counting for the West Bengal assembly election indicates that the BJP is leading in 172 seats, while the Trinamool Congress is ahead in 112 seats, reports The Indian Express.
According to the latest trends based on votes counted so far as of 11am Bangladesh time, the BJP has secured a clear lead over its main rival, the TMC, in the 294-member assembly.
Polling for the 294 assembly seats was held in two phases on 23 April and 29 April.
