Shraddha Pandey

The front page of the Calcutta edition of the newspaper published on 5th May dominated BJP’s Bengal victory, with a large front in saffron colour “BJP’s Bengal” with an illustration of the iconic Howrah Bridge worked into the lettering. Below it is the headline “Saffron tsunami sets aside TMC”.

The outgoing Chief Minister has refused to resign. Short on numbers, Banerjee has accused the BJP of ‘rigging’ and claimed that the TMC has won the elections ‘morally’.

Several foreign media publications covered the BJP’s thumping victory, though not without peddling propaganda about the victorious party’s ‘Hindu nationalist’ ideology, ‘Muslim minority under threat’ bogey and falsehoods about the pre-poll SIR exercise.

It is the BJP’s candidate selection and focus on real issues that propelled the party to 206 seats for its maiden triumph. BJP’s women candidates brought their own grassroots stories, carried pain and yearning to bring change that resonated with Bengali voters.

The anti-BJP brigade has recycled its formulaic ‘Hum hare nahi humein haraya gaya hai’ bogey by casting aspersions on the integrity of the Election Commission, instead of gracefully accepting the Janadesh.

The Nubra, Sham, and Changthang districts were carved out of the existing Leh district, while Zanskar and Drass were formed out of the existing Kargil district.

In fact, in 2024, the Madras High Court allowed Muslim police officials to keep beards in Islamic style, citing religious freedom. If Muslim cops can be allowed to sport beards according to their religious beliefs, why can't Hindu officials wear a Tilak or other religious symbols?

Paragraph 4 (2) essentially kills AAP’s argument that a ‘real’ merger must involve the national party structure and not just one House’s lawmakers. This constitutional provision rejects the interpretation of the Anti-Defection Law, AAP leadership is putting forth.

The second and final phase of the 2026 West Bengal elections is a make-or-break phase for the BJP. This phase covers the large pasts of South Bengal, including 11 seats in Kolkata, North 24 Parganas has 33, South 24 Parganas has 31 seats, Howrah has 16, Hooghly has 18, Nadia has 17, and East Burdwan has 16 seats. These seats have been the Trinamool Congress’s core bastion.

During an event commemorating Bhim Rao Ambedkar’s birthday, Satish Bauddh delivered a speech wherein he began with the usual hateful commentary against the ‘Manuwadi ideology’, caste, and superstition, to incite Dalit Hindus to convert to Buddhism. However, he soon pivoted to spewing vitriol against Hindu deities, scriptures and beliefs.