09 May,2026 03:02 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondent
Nitin Gadkari. File Pic
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said the Bharatiya Janata Party's historic victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections reflects growing public acceptance of the party's ideology in the state and asserted that the political change would accelerate development in the region, reported PTI.
Speaking to PTI Videos in Nagpur before leaving for Kolkata to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Suvendu Adhikari, Gadkari described the BJP's electoral performance as a landmark moment for the party in eastern India.
The BJP secured 207 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly in the recently concluded elections, ending the 15-year rule of the All India Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee.
With the election victory, the BJP formed its first-ever government in West Bengal, marking a major shift in the state's political landscape that had long resisted the party's expansion, reported PTI.
Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Mamata Banerjee in the high-profile Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, took oath as the first BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal on Saturday.
Political observers have described the result as one of the BJP's most significant breakthroughs in eastern India, where regional and Left parties had historically maintained strong political influence, reported PTI.
Before the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011, West Bengal had been governed for 34 consecutive years by the Left Front led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Gadkari credited the victory to the ideological foundation laid by Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
Calling the result a tribute to Mookerjee's vision, Gadkari said the BJP's rise in Bengal had been achieved despite historically difficult political conditions for the party in the state, reported PTI.
"BJP's spectacular victory in West Bengal for the first time is a tribute to Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee," Gadkari said, reported PTI.
He added that the recognition of the BJP's ideology in West Bengal was a moment of pride and satisfaction for party workers who had worked for decades to expand the party's presence in the state.
The Union minister further expressed confidence that the change in political leadership would help accelerate development and infrastructure growth in West Bengal, reported PTI.
According to Gadkari, the mandate reflects the aspirations of people seeking new governance and development opportunities after years of Trinamool Congress rule, reported PTI.
"The change brought by the people of Bengal will undoubtedly prove very useful for the state's development in future," he said.
The BJP leadership has repeatedly emphasised infrastructure expansion, industrial investment, employment generation and improved connectivity as key priorities for the new government in West Bengal.
The Assembly election outcome is being viewed as a major political milestone for the BJP, particularly because West Bengal had traditionally remained difficult terrain for the party.
The victory is expected to strengthen the BJP's influence in eastern India and could significantly reshape regional political dynamics in the coming years.
With Suvendu Adhikari now leading the state government, attention will focus on how the BJP balances governance, development promises and political consolidation in one of India's most politically significant states.
(With inputs from PTI)
