The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking to leverage its significant victory in Bihar to fuel its political ambitions in neighbouring West Bengal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has explicitly targeted the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections as the next major goal, aiming to unseat Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress (TMC) party. Modi connected the Bihar results to his Bengal strategy, promising to transform the state by ending what he described as ‘jungle raj.’ He highlighted the election outcome as a testament to the electorate’s support for a governance agenda focused on development and public good. West Bengal has been a long-standing challenge for the BJP’s expansion efforts. Despite considerable investment and campaigning, the party’s electoral performance in the 2016 assembly elections was notably weak, securing only three seats. A more promising performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, where it won 18 of the 42 seats, provided a crucial boost. This led to an intensified campaign for the 2021 assembly elections, significantly increasing the BJP’s seat tally to 77 and its vote share to 38%, making it the main opposition. However, political analysts caution against assuming a direct correlation between the Bihar win and West Bengal’s political future. They emphasize that local factors, such as the influence of women voters, the appeal of welfare initiatives, and the unique political climate of West Bengal, will be decisive. How political parties adapt to these dynamics will ultimately shape the electoral contest.
