The BRICS TimesRiding a fierce wave of anti-incumbency, BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her own Bhabanipur fortress by a margin of 15,105 votes ending the TMC’s 15-year rule and scripting BJP’s first-ever government in West Bengal.
The Fall of a Fortress
For fifteen unbroken years, Mamata Banerjee ruled West Bengal with an iron grip. On Monday, May 4, 2026 that grip finally loosened. BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari walked into Bhabanipur, Mamata’s own backyard, and walked out a winner by a margin of 15,105 votes. It was not just a constituency loss. It was the symbolic crumbling of an era.
Counting began at 8 AM at the Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls’ High School heavy security in place, tension palpable. The early rounds gave Mamata a sliver of hope. She led after the third round. She was ahead by 7,184 votes after twelve rounds. Then the tide turned and it never came back.
A Political Rivalry Settled in Bhabanipur
Suvendu Adhikari was once Mamata Banerjee’s most trusted lieutenant. He left. He became her fiercest rival. In 2021, he famously defeated her in Nandigram forcing her to contest a bypoll in Bhabanipur, which she won by a record margin. This time, the BJP sent him straight to Bhabanipur a direct, unmistakable challenge. And he delivered.
By the fourteenth round, the numbers had flipped entirely. Adhikari pulled ahead with 54,386 votes leaving Mamata trailing at 53,832. From that point, the gap only widened. The final margin stood at 15,105 votes. CPI’s Santi Gopal Giri came a distant third.
Bengal Cheers, Bhabanipur Erupts
The moment the result became clear, Bhabanipur transformed. Chants of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” rang out across the constituency. At Exide Crossing, hundreds of BJP workers danced in the streets saffron flags waving, firecrackers bursting, traffic grinding to a halt. The celebration was loud, colourful, and very deliberate. It was happening right on Mamata’s turf.
During counting itself, Adhikari had already set the tone. “BJP is forming the government,” he declared well before the final numbers were in. He was right.
A Party Swept Into Power
Bhabanipur was not the only story. Across 293 constituencies, the BJP was on a roll. By 8:55 PM, the party had won 156 seats and was leading in 62 more. By 9:30 PM, the numbers had climbed further 176 seats won, 32 leading, a total tally touching 208. The All India Trinamool Congress once the undisputed force in Bengal had won just 59 seats and led in 20 more.
It was a complete reversal. BJP, which had long been a marginal player in Bengal, was now set to form its first-ever government in the state the home state of its ideologue, Syama Prasad Mookerji.
Key Upsets Beyond Bhabanipur
The scale of the rout went far beyond one seat. In Jadavpur once a Left bastion in south Kolkata BJP’s Sarbari Mukherjee, a veteran Bengali actress, defeated TMC’s sitting MLA Debabrata Majumdar by 25,773 votes. In Asansol Dakshin, BJP’s Agnimitra Paul romped home with a massive 40,839-vote margin. In Medinipur, Sankar Kumar Guchhait won by 38,747 votes.
Even in Nandigram, which held its own deep political significance, Suvendu Adhikari contesting simultaneously won against TMC’s Pabitra Kar by 9,665 votes. He secured 1,27,301 votes to Kar’s 1,17,636.
Mamata Hits Back But Concedes
Mamata Banerjee did not go quietly. Even as the numbers piled against her, she accused the BJP of violence and alleged that seats had been “looted.” She claimed the party had used “illegal” tactics. Rahul Gandhi backed her narrative, asserting that “100 seats were stolen.”
But in the end, Mamata conceded. And even in defeat, she was defiant. “We will bounce back,” she declared a battle cry more than a farewell. She was expected to head to Raj Bhavan later in the day, formally signalling the end of her tenure as Chief Minister.
The Road to This Moment
This election had been anything but ordinary. It was held across two phases April 23 and April 29. The campaign was bruising. Record voter turnout. Allegations of EVM tampering. Late-night protests outside strongrooms. Re-polling at select booths ordered by the Election Commission. Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal repeatedly assured voters of security and fair counting three micro-observers inside counting rooms, one observer per strongroom.
Exit polls had pointed to a BJP edge. But few had predicted the scale of the sweep or that Mamata herself would fall in Bhabanipur.
A New Chapter Begins
West Bengal now stands at a political crossroads. BJP which first made serious inroads in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections has now crossed the ultimate threshold. It will govern a state that Congress, the Left, and finally the TMC held for decades. For Suvendu Adhikari, who was once dismissed as a turncoat, the Bhabanipur win is a crowning moment. For Mamata Banerjee, the road back if there is one starts from scratch.
Akshay Didwaniya
Pratik Agrawal
Mayur Mohta
