The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on track to secure an absolute majority in the West Bengal assembly elections in India .
The party is on the verge of forming the government for the first time in the state, according to preliminary results and counting.
According to the Indian media outlet The Hindu , 148 seats are required to form a government in the 294-member assembly. The BJP has already secured victory in 156 seats, surpassing the required majority, and is leading in many more seats.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered a major setback in the two-phase elections held on April 23 and 29. Party leader Mamata Banerjee was defeated in her home constituency of Bhavanipur, according to various sources.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has alleged irregularities in the results. The party has claimed that irregularities occurred in over 100 seats. However, no official comment has been received from the Election Commission on this matter.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reacting to the results, said that this election has ushered in change in West Bengal. He thanked the voters and called it a “new sunrise”.
According to analysts, the results signal a major shift in West Bengal politics, with the influence of national politics likely to become more firmly established, moving beyond the long-standing regional political dominance.