WEST BENGAL — The Bharatiya Janata Party was poised to take control of the West Bengal state government for the first time after partial results from the May 4, 2026 assembly election showed the party leading in a majority of seats. The Election Commission of India released trends indicating the BJP ahead in at least 190 of the 294 seats in the state legislature, with final results expected Monday evening.

By 4:30 p.m. India time on May 4, the BJP had won or was leading in 200 of the 294 seats. Earlier trends released by the Election Commission had shown the party ahead in 176 seats. In the 2021 West Bengal state election, the BJP won 77 seats, its previous best performance in the state. Three other states participated in the April–May 2026 Indian state elections alongside West Bengal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and several senior BJP leaders campaigned extensively in West Bengal, focusing on what they described as illegal immigration from Bangladesh and the state's weak local economy. The vote followed a special intensive revision of the state's electoral rolls, during which more than 2.7 million voters were removed.

"The West Bengal assembly elections will be remembered forever. People's power has prevailed and BJP's politics of good governance has triumphed. I bow to each and every person of West Bengal," Modi said.

West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya framed the result as a verdict against the incumbent government. "It was an election of rejection. People of the state want change," he said.

Mamata Banerjee, who has served as Chief Minister of West Bengal since 2011, rejected the early projections as counting continued. "The BJP is not coming. Take my word for it. Be patient till the last," Banerjee said. She had positioned herself as a leader to unite regional parties against the BJP, emerging as a prominent national challenger as India's opposition struggled to mount a unified and sustained challenge to the party's nationwide dominance.

The outcome is expected to boost Modi's political standing midway through his third term, ahead of an anticipated bid for a fourth term as Prime Minister in 2029.