NewDelhi: Riding high on its Delhi Assembly polls victory, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now turned to West Bengal, eyeing the 2026 state Assembly polls. Taking questions from reporters in Kolkata on Sunday, union minister Dharmendra Pradhan predicted a ‘BJP raj’ in the state in the next elections.
The Union Minister of Education, Pradhan, directed the attacks upon the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, alleging that it stopped the development projects in the state by the central government. He also rejected state government claims that the Centre neglected West Bengal, terming them utterly baseless.
In West Bengal, where the BJP has consistently garnered about 30-40 % of the vote share since 2019, Pradhan said voters were aware that their brothers and sisters-in-arms had faced challenges in that state, but “the party has emerged from that all the more stronger”. If the party could secure another 10% of the vote share, he feels that would be sufficient to displace TMC from power. The BJP is strengthening its grip over the state, and Pradhan said the 2026 election would be crucial to the party’s stride to power.
Pradhan also cited the BJP’s recent win in the Delhi elections as a surefire sign of faith in the party, as the AAP faced a huge defeat. He said the loss was significant as it reflected the people’s rejection of a “corrupt” AAP government and underlined their faith in the party’s leadership.
In recent years, the BJP has gained ground in West Bengal. The party made inroads in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections , where it bagged 18 out of the 42 seats. The BJP won 77 seats in the 2021 WB Assembly elections, expanding its foothold in the state. In 2024, the party also recorded victory on 12 Lok Sabha seats.
While the BJP’s vote share in West Bengal remained 30-40% in the last poll, the additional 10% needed to set up the party government, the BJP member stated. He said it would happen in the 2026 assembly polls, adding that the BJP would win.
The Union Minister also mentioned his attempts to construct a 710-kilometre-long gas pipeline from Jharkhand to West Bengal as the Minister of Petroleum. He further alleged that the project lies stalled in West Bengal even after repeatedly approaching the state government. He also blamed the Mamata Banerjee government for not agreeing to lease more land to extend the pipeline. He said no cooperation was sought from the state government in the expansion of railway infrastructure and in setting up more Navodaya schools.
Pradhan further alleged that the TMC government was refusing to execute central-sponsored schemes, and even if they did, it had no disbelieve as whatever success accrued would be equated to PM Narendra Modi. He pointed out that railway allotment to West Bengal has increased since NDA came to power, from Rs. 4,000 crore under UPA to Rs. 13,995 crore under this regime. But the state government did not take advantage of this rise, Pradhan said.
The tussle for political supremacy in the state is bound to heat up as the BJP gears up for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The BJP getting more wins under its belt and thereby strengthening its position in West Bengal may well turn the tables in the state and even in the years to come.