New Delhi: The BJP is set for some historic gains in West Bengal, a state where it had a negligible presence so far, with early trends indicating that the party is leading in 15 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats.
The BJP had won just two seats — Asansol and Darjeeling — in 2014.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), which rules the state is leading in 25 seats. In 2014, the TMC had won in 34 of the 42 seats. To add to its woes, Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was trailing at the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency.
The biggest blow, however, has been for the Congress and the CPI(M). While the Congress is leading in two seats, the CPI(M) is nowhere in the race.
Also read: Lok Sabha results Live: BJP leads in Jammu and Kashmir, Congress trails
BJP surge
The BJP surge in West Bengal, however, is not surprising considering the party’s aggressive thrust in the state over the past year. Pitching its campaign around religion, BJP consolidated the Hindu vote base in the state — Hindus make up 48 per cent of the population.
Both PM Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah campaigned aggressively in the state. Modi addressed about 17 campaign rallies in the state. The BJP also used the NRC card and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to woo Hindu refugees, especially in North Bengal.
The party also played on Mamata’s supposed ‘appeasement policy’ towards minorities, especially the Muslims. The BJP’s performance is a huge bonus for the party considering that it has come on the back of a poor performance in the 2016 Assembly elections, winning 44 of the 294 seats.
It got its act together by 2018 and came second after the TMC, winning over 5,700 seats in the panchayat elections. It became the main opposition party elbowing out the Congress and the Left Front.