04 May,2026 05:44 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said victory in West Bengal will save the country from infiltrators, terrorist activities, and attacks. FILE PIC
Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) victory in West Bengal would help save the country from infiltrators and terrorist activities. He asserted that people have reposed strong faith in the party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Citing the BJP's performance in Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry, Fadnavis said 78 per cent of the country is now ruled by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
As counting of votes in the West Bengal Assembly polls progressed, the BJP had won six seats and was leading in 196 seats, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) had bagged one, indicating a saffron surge in the state.
"The victory in West Bengal will save our country from infiltrators, terrorist activities, and attacks. The way the Mamata Banerjee-led government functioned would ensure infiltrators from Bangladesh and send them across the country. These people would take away our jobs and pose a threat to our security, sovereignty, and unity," Fadnavis said.
Referring to his campaign during the Bengal polls, Fadnavis said he was told that locals considered the BJP an outsider party, to which he responded that the party was founded by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and had deep roots.
He claimed the BJP has secured a two-thirds majority in the state, reflecting people's trust in Modi.
Fadnavis said there was a growing trust factor for the BJP and PM Modi across states such as West Bengal, Puducherry and Assam, adding that the party would bring West Bengal out of "bad rule".
He criticised the erstwhile governments of Congress and the Left, calling the last 15 years under Banerjee the "worst of all" tenures.
Fadnavis said West Bengal, once the country's financial hub with Kolkata as its economic capital, had declined due to the previous governments.
"Of the total FDI which our country receives, West Bengal could not even attract half a per cent," Fadnavis said.
The Chief Minister said West Bengal was once highly industrialised, but nearly 7,000 major industries had left, turning it into a "jungle raj".
He credited PM Modi's vision and infrastructure push, including roads and metro projects, for convincing voters about real transformation.
Fadnavis hailed Union Home Minister Amit Shah as a master strategist and also lauded BJP president Nitin Nabin for ensuring a major victory.
He said the Bengal victory was dedicated to BJP workers who were attacked or killed after the previous assembly elections, asserting that the party's "chariot of victory cannot be stopped".
Drawing a comparison with Assam, Fadnavis said infiltration and terror activities had stopped after the BJP came to power and that the north-eastern state is now contributing significantly to growth.
"Similarly, West Bengal will be seen as a growth partner of the country in the coming days," he added.
Fadnavis also thanked the Election Commission for conducting peaceful polls, claiming that no lives were lost.
(With PTI inputs)
