Overview
- The BJP, which secured results Monday, won 206 of 294 seats in West Bengal as TMC leader Mamata Banerjee lost her seat.
- Election authorities used a special intensive revision of voter lists shortly before polling that struck off millions of names, with reports ranging from 2.7 million to nine million in West Bengal, and many of those removed were Muslims.
- Banerjee accused the BJP and the Election Commission of collusion and said more than 100 seats were “pillaged.” Modi called it a “record” win and urged calm with no revenge.
- Beyond Bengal, the BJP returned to power in Assam and remained in the ruling coalition in Pondicherry, the Congress-led bloc ousted the communists in Kerala, and a new party led by actor C. Joseph Vijay surged in Tamil Nadu as M. K. Stalin lost his seat.
- Indian outlets flagged legal and legitimacy concerns over the roll purge, with The Hindu saying the Supreme Court condemned the removals, while AFP’s analysis said the results confirm the BJP as the country’s dominant party heading toward 2029.