Bengal is no Delhi, TMC reminds gloating BJP netas
Times of India | 9 February 2025
Kolkata: Reacting to the Delhi assembly poll results, Trinamool on Saturday reminded BJP seniors not to gloat and said that Delhi and Bengal were completely different when it came to an electoral battle. "Delhi or no Delhi, after the 2026 assembly polls, Mamata Banerjee will be the fourth-time CM of Bengal with 250 plus seats. The only ‘change' will be that BJP may not have the requisite numbers to get the opposition leader's post," said party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
This comes after Bengal BJP netas Suvendu Adhikari and Sukanta Majumdar predicted a "change" (BJP win) in the 2026 Bengal assembly polls.Delhi Election Results 2025Saffron surge in Delhi as BJP ends AAP's reign in landslide victoryDelhi results: Complete list of winners from AAP, BJP and CongressTop 10 winners and losers in Delhi elections
Ghosh said that if party chief Mamata Banerjee's suggestions had been accepted (within INDIA bloc), BJP might not have achieved such a landslide victory. He, however, stopped short of criticising Congress or AAP.
Banerjee had repeatedly suggested an electoral formula that the strongest anti-BJP party in a region should lead a collective alliance fight.
Unlike NC's Omar Abullah or Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut, TMC did not blame the bickering within INDIA bloc partners for the AAP defeat in Delhi. TMC had thrown its weight behind AAP, and party MPs Mahua Moitra and Shatrughan Sinha had campaigned for AAP candidates.
"Our central leadership is analysing the reasons. We will only say that the Bengal model eked out by CM Mamata Banerjee, which revolves around a strong and transformative society, a social security net for people, and responsive and sensitive administration, has proven time and again how BJP with ‘allies' Congress and CPM can be stopped. People in Bengal have shown their faith in CM Banerjee repeatedly," added Ghosh.
Adhikari — along with Purulia MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato — was a key campaigner in Delhi polls in constituencies with a sizable Bengali-speaking population. Initial trends suggested that BJP had done well in these pockets. Energised by the results, Adhikari on Saturday promised a three-fold hike in Lakshmir Bhandar (from Rs 1000 to Rs 3000 monthly) amount and to triple the grant in Awas Yojana, from Rs 1.2 lakh to over Rs 3 lakh. Adhikari has predicted a BJP win in Bengal in 2026, a statement seconded by Majumdar, the Bengal BJP president.
On Adhikari's dole promises, Ghosh pointed out: "The very neta you quote was the first to launch a tirade against Lakshmir Bhandar when CM Banerjee rolled it out."
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