Bengal Election Result 2026 Highlights: BJP's Piyush Kanodia wins in Rajarhat New Town by 316 votes

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BJP candidate Piyush Kanodia has won in the Rajarhat New Town Assembly constituency in West Bengal by a margin of 316 votes. His nearest rival, sitting Trinamool Congress MLA Tapash Chatterjee, polled 1,06,248 votes against his 1,06,564. Counting progressed on Tuesday after it was stopped for several hours when the TMC claimed discrepancies during the process.

By 10 am on Monday, policemen on election duty began voicing long-suppressed grievances, from unpaid dearness allowance and poor working conditions to growing disillusionment with 15 years of rule. Among other factors, the TMC has increasingly lost support within its own government workforce. READ MORE HERE

BJP candidate Piyush Kanodia is now leading from the Rajarhat New Town seat in Kolkata by 309 votes against sitting TMC MLA Tapash Chatterjee. He is set to win from this constituency as 18 rounds of counting have been completed.

Counting progressed on Tuesday after it was stopped for several hours when the TMC claimed discrepancies during the process.

West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya on Tuesday warned of strict action against leaders and workers, saying they could be expelled from the party if they were found involved in vandalism during post-poll victory celebrations in the state.

"At some places, people carried the BJP flag and engaged in vandalism. We condemn this. We want to make it clear that if anyone does such a thing, we will be compelled to expel them from the party. Celebrations were held across the country for West Bengal. Now we face very big challenges ahead. We are moving forward with those. We want to tell our workers to stay peaceful and not hurt anyone's sentiments," he said.

The TMC has filed a complaint, alleging discrepancies during counting of votes in Rajarhat New Town. Recounting of the last three rounds and postal ballots will take place. Result is expected to be out in the evening.

(with inputs from Tapas Sengupta)

In its first move to capture the imagination of Bengalis and root itself in the state’s traditions, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday announced that it would hold its oath-taking ceremony in Kolkata on May 9, or Pochishe Boishakh -- the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Lotus (BJP's party symbol) will now bloom in Punjab under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the 2027 assembly polls in the state, claimed Punjab BJP on Monday following the party's resounding victory in West Bengal.

They further said that after West Bengal, it is now the turn of Punjab, where Assembly polls are due early next year.

The BJP scripted history, winning 206 seats and ousting the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government after 15 years.

(with inputs from PTI)

Home Minister Amit Shah oversaw a data-driven BJP campaign in West Bengal with early planning, seat mapping and close booth monitoring. The party says the approach, centred on local issues and anti-incumbency, helped it win 206 seats and end TMC's 15-year rule. READ MORE HERE

Former BJP MP Dilip Ghosh won Kharagpur Sadar assembly constituency in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district by 30,506 votes over his nearest rival Pradip Sarkar of the TMC, according to the Election Commission.

Ghosh, a former BJP state president, polled 89,885 votes, while Sarkar bagged 59,379 votes. CPI(M)'s Madhusudan Roy bagged the third spot, securing only 5,451 votes.

Both Ghosh and Sarkar are former MLAs of the constituency. Ghosh had also represented the Medinipur Lok Sabha seat.

(with inputs from PTI)

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee shared a phone call in which Mamata Banerjee alleged irregularities during Bhabanipur counting, claiming intimidation at counting centres and removal of her agents. She further accused procedural lapses in handling EVMs and said the outcome would be legally challenged with supporting evidence. READ MORE HERE

A Durga temple in West Bengal's Asansol reopened to devotees after remaining shut for several years due to local tensions. The move followed the BJP's sweep in Paschim Bardhaman district and in the Assembly polls. READ MORE HERE

As the BJP shifted from "Jai Shri Ram" to "Joy Ma Kali" in Bengal, the older chant continued to surface among the masses at public events. The contrast highlighted how political messaging evolved, while the slogan itself retained a life of its own. READ MORE HERE

Bengal's 2026 election unfolded under an unprecedented central security deployment after years of poll violence. The heavy presence of forces reshaped voter confidence and became a key factor in the BJP's historic victory. READ MORE HERE

After its landmark victory in West Bengal, the BJP is rallying around a new internal narrative, projecting party chief Nitin Nabin as a "lucky charm", whose rise aligns with the party's expanding footprint in eastern India. READ MORE HERE

Flex boards, party banners and festoons at Trinamool Congress offices across West Bengal were allegedly defaced and damaged following the BJP's landslide victory in the Assembly polls on Monday, even as the saffron party denied any role in the incidents, officials said on Monday.

The TMC claimed that hours after poll trends became clear, "miscreants" gathered outside its offices at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas, Tufanganj in Cooch Behar and Panihati in North 24 Parganas and vandalised them.

At Baruipur, flex boards and banners were torn, and photographs of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and party chairperson Mamata Banerjee were thrown on the ground, a local TMC leader alleged.

A senior police officer said forces were deployed in the area, and the crowd that had assembled outside the party office was dispersed.

At Jamuria in Paschim Bardhaman district, unidentified persons allegedly set a local TMC party office on fire, another senior police officer said. In Asansol, a TMC office was vandalised, with a party leader alleging that BJP supporters were behind the incident.

In Panihati, the TMC alleged that its party office was "captured" after flex boards and flags were removed and replaced with saffron colour and lotus symbols.

There were visuals of a mob, flaunting BJP flags, vandalising a club at Ruby More in Kasba area, but police later intervened and persuaded them to leave the spot.

(with inputs from PTI)

Following the BJP's stupendous victory in West Bengal, the saffron party's vote share climbed to around 45 per cent from 38 per cent in 2021, while the TMC's dropped to nearly 40.94 per cent from 48 per cent five years ago.

At least 20 TMC ministers were defeated, including Bratya Basu, Manas Ranjan Bhunia, Shashi Panja and Chandrima Bhattacharya.

(with inputs from PTI)

TMC candidate and sitting MLA Tapash Chatterjee is maintaining a slender lead of 323 votes against his BJP rival Piyush Kanodia from Rajarhat New Town seat at the end of the 17th round. One more round of counting remains and it will be interesting to see whether Chatterjee will be able to retain the seat or if the BJP candidate can take the constituency.

For the record, the BJP is set to form the government for the first time in West Bengal, winning 208 seats, while the TMC managed just 80, down from 215 it had won in 2021.

West Bengal minister Aroop Biswas lost by a margin of 6,013 votes to BJP's Papiya Adhikari in the Tollyganj assembly seat in south Kolkata on Monday.

Biswas got 82,394 votes, while actor-turned politician Adhikari got 88,407 votes.

CPI(M) was at the third spot in the seat, with its candidate Partha Pratim Biswas securing 30,335 votes.

Biswas had stepped down as the Sports Minister of the state in the wake of the controversy over the "mismanagement" of the Lionel Messi event at the Salt Lake stadium last December.

Alleged mismanagement and security lapses during the high-profile event led angry Messi fans to go on a rampage at the stadium.

Biswas, however, remained a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the Power Department.

He has also been accused of shielding the alleged 'syndicate' active in the numerous film studios in Tollygunge.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won 204 seats till now. The party is leading in two more seats. 

On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress has till now won 75 seats and is leading in six more.

The Left and the ISF have won one seat each.