By Dr. Gyan Pathak
BJP leaders Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister of Home Amit Shah April 24, 2026, a day after highest ever 92.89 per cent polling in the first phase of election on 152 constituencies, claimed to win West Bengal, while TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee vowed to “conquer Delhi” after winning the election in the state. Shah has claimed that BJP will win 110 in the first phase, while TMC has claimed to win around 132-134 or at least 125 seats.
While predicting Mamata’s exit, Modi-Shah duo even raised the pitch of their virulent attack on Mamata. PM Modi on Friday held a rally with the mother of the RG Kar rape victim’s mother in Dum Dum, and alleged, “Her daughter was taken away by TMC.”
He said that after May 4, when the result will be out, and BJP will be in power, the TMC’s “goons” would have no place to hide in West Bengal and that no one would be able to protect them. He claimed that heavy polling in the first phase have already signaled the end of TMC’s “maha jungle raj”. He even said that files related to every injustice and every atrocity committed against the people of the state will be opened. “I repeat, the files will be opened – and this is Modi’s guarantee,” he said. PM Modi did not stop at this. He even alleged, “Last night, TMC was empowering their goons all night long.”
Mamata Banerjee also launched sharp attack on BJP and vowed a bigger political battle. She accused BJP of influencing administrative appointments in the state. She said in Kolkata that individuals aligned with the BJP had been placed in key roles. She said that TMC will continue to fight injustice done to the state by the BJP, and has the capacity to defeat them. “I was born in Bengal and will die in Bengal,” she said. After winning Bengal, the focus would shift to challenge the BJP at the national level as well.
Addressing a rally in Chowringhee, she said she would “conquer Delhi” after securing victory in the assembly election. However, goal is not power but the “dismantling” of the BJP at the Centre by uniting opposition parties.
Amit Shah hailed the record turnout of voters in the first phase and called it “dawn of new era” of good governance in West Bengal by implying BJP’s win. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, he said high turnout in the first phase signals ‘pro-BJP mandate.” “People have decided to vote out Didi,” he said. The Heavy polling marks the beginning of a “journey from fear to trust.”
‘Didi is about go and BJP is set to come, fear is about to go and trust is going to come’, said Amit Shah. He linked a significant drop in poll related violence to a “sign of change”. compared past election data, noting that 1,278 people were injured in 2016, 1,681 in 2021, 664 in the 2023 panchayat polls, and 761 in the 2024 general elections. In contrast, he said, fewer than 30 people were injured in the first phase this time.
Shah expressed confidence that the enthusiasm of the people will grow further in the second phase of election. He said that after the election “Anga (Bihar), Banga (Bengal), and Kalinga (Odisha)” all three will have BJP government, and that will be an “era of change.”
Mamata’s election campaign so far has successfully labelled BJP and its leader “outsider”, an image that Modi-Shah duo have been at pains to remove. Modi tried to align with Bengali culture by even referring to fish and having a “jhalmuri” break, but has failed so far. Today, Amit Shah asserted that the next CM would be “someone born in Bengal, educated in Bengali medium and able to speak Bengali.” He took swipe at Mamata and said BJP’s CM would be a grassroots worker while “your nephew will not be there.”
Shah also raised the women’s safety issue and said, “I want to assure the mothers and sisters of Bengal that after the BJP forms the government, even late at night, no one will dare to threaten their safety.” PM Modi has also raised the issue at a Dum Dum rally. Shah also referred to the RG Kar case and Sandeshkhali, saying those affected have been given party tickets.
Amit Shah sharply attacked Mamata and said the traders of West Bengal will be freed from “Bhatija Tax” or “Bhaipo Tax” if BJP comes to power. He said that BJP would dismantle the “syndicate system” through which TMC collects money. He also alleged that the state’s administration has been “politicized and criminalised”. “We will liberate the people of Bengal from this,” he said.
Amit Shah promised to crack down on corruption and being a “white paper” to expose it. He made even sharper attack on the Mamata Banerjee government, accusing it of “institutionalising corruption” and alleging scams worth over Rs 10,000 crore. He said the BJP would ensure a transparent administration and take strict action against those involved in corruption and all allegations would be investigated by a retired Supreme Court judge.
Mamata on the other hand asserted that the polling in the first phase indicated that the TMC was already in a position to win. She has accused BJP leaders of intimidating party workers, leaders, and people of Bengal through central forces and investigating agencies. She said that those who are plotting to snatch the right of the state will get a befitting reply from the people of West Bengal.
“Every attempt to undermine Bengal will be met with a decisive democratic pushback. This election is about resisting a systematic attempt to weaken Bengal and control it,” she said, adding in her social media post, “I urge every citizen to rise above differences, stand united, and vote to protect Bengal’s language, culture, and future.”“BJP amassed all machinery and resources against Mamata but will fail miserably,” said TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee. (IPA Service)
