India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters celebrate their party’s win in the West Bengal state assembly elections, outside the party’s regional office in Kolkata, India, May 4, 2026. REUTERS/Sahiba Chawdhary
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SAHIBA CHAWDHARY
The post-poll analysis of the Bengal Assembly elections has largely focused on religious consolidation. However, a granular look at the victory margins suggests a different reality. In seats where the BJP triumphed, the gap was often wider than the total votes polled by minority candidates, suggesting a broader base of support that transcends the ‘polarisation’ trope.
More tellingly, for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), even the strongest religious alignment could not provide a shield against a growing wave of local anti-incumbency. Besides, in some of the minority-dominated seats where TMC candidates have won, the second position was held by the Congress which also had fielded leaders from the minority community.
In Jangipur, where BJP won by a margin of 10,542 votes against TMC, the Congress came third securing 31,228 votes. Both TMC and Congress had fielded candidates from the minority community. Similarly, in the Pundua seat, BJP won by a margin of 5,228 votes but the minority candidate of CPM got 27,557 votes spoiling chances of TMC.
On the other hand, in the Nakashipara seat where TMC almost got the entire votes of the minority community but still got defeated by BJP with a margin of 17,327 votes.
“In most of the seats the votes of the minority community got divided among TMC, CPM and Congress candidates when all are from the same community. Secondly, the anti-incumbency was so strong that it could not save TMC,” said a Jadavpur University professor. If the local TMC candidate was unpopular in a seat, many of the minority voters have preferred other non-BJP candidates, he added.
The All India Secular Front candidate, who is a woman from the minority community from the Jagatballavpur seat, polled 20,896 votes where the BJP won the seat with a margin of 6,671 votes from TMC’s Subir Chatterjee.
As many as 31 (or 39 per cent) out of 80 TMC candidates are from the minority community whereas the lone Muslim face of BJP – Indranil Khan – won against TMC rival Ratna Chaterjee from Behala Paschim with a margin of 24,699 votes, where the CPM candidate received 30,676 votes.
In both the seats where Aam Janata Unnayan party leader Humayun Kabir has won, the BJP was in second position while TMC secured third despite putting a candidate from the minority community.
Published on May 5, 2026
