Hindu nationalist BJP wins West Bengal polls

Congress alliance clinches Kerala

KOLKATA:

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party swept to victory Monday in key elections in opposition-held West Bengal state, conquering a bastion long held by its adversary.

Votes were still being counted under tight security in the state of more than 100 million people, one of five states and territories that held elections in April and May where results were also being announced on Monday.

But latest results by the Election Commission of India showed Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won a landmark 206 out of 294 seats in the legislative assembly, marking its first-ever electoral victory in West Bengal.

The BJP returned to power in the northeastern state of Assam for a third time in a row, and in the small coastal territory of Puducherry, where it was a part of the ruling coalition.

The results should put Modi on a stronger footing while he battles a series of economic and foreign policy challenges, including high unemployment rates and a pending US trade deal, ahead of a general election in 2029.

"The 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections will be remembered forever," Modi, 75, said on social media. "People's power has prevailed and BJP's politics of good governance has triumphed."

"BJP's record win in West Bengal would not be possible without the efforts and struggles of countless Karyakartas (workers) over generations," Modi said.

In neighbouring Kerala, an alliance led by the Congress party defeated the Left Democratic Front after two consecutive terms, ending the last remaining Communist-led state government in India.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi thanked the people of Kerala for a "truly decisive mandate".