A day after the first phase of the Bengal Assembly elections recorded its highest ever voter turnout of over 92 percent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah termed the high participation as a decisive signal against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). While PM Modi said the TMC was “extremely rattled” and the turnout was a “seal on a long-visible wave of change”, Shah asserted that the numbers pointed to a BJP government in the state with an “absolute majority” and that the party will win 110 of 152 seats that went to polls on Thursday.
Addressing an election rally in Panihati in North 24 Parganas district on Friday, Modi said, “There was a wave of change visible in Bengal for a long time and yesterday’s first phase of voting has put a seal on it. This is why the TMC is now extremely rattled. Last night, the TMC was empowering its goons to take to the field…I will tell the people of Bengal, I will tell all the BJP workers, do not forget, this is the land of revolution, this is the land of the brave. And do not forget that every lamp that is about to go out flickers a little, just like that, the TMC’s lamp is also flickering a bit before it goes out.”
Saying that the first phase of voting has declared an end to the TMC’s “jungle raj” and referring to the RG Kar victim’s mother, the BJP’s Panihati candidate, who was also on the dais with the Prime Minister, Modi said, “The TMC is an anti-woman party, whereas the BJP works on a women-led development model. The mother helped her daughter become a doctor. That daughter was taken away from her by the TMC. We have made that mother a candidate. The BJP has also given an opportunity to the victim of Sandeshkhali to lead. When the women of Bengal ask for justice, the TMC tells them not to step out of their homes.”
He also urged the people to vote for the BJP, promising to free the state from TMC’s “syndicate, fear, corruption, atrocities against women, migration, unemployment, and infiltration”.
“If a BJP government is formed in Bengal, the interests of the middle class will also be paramount,” Modi said, adding, “To make the lives of the middle class easier, the central government has taken several decisions over the past 11 years. Before 2014, when the government supported by the TMC was in power in Delhi, annual income above Rs 2 lakh was taxed. We have provided a huge tax relief to the middle class; today, income up to Rs 12 lakh is tax-free.”
Hitting out at the Congress, he said, “During the Congress governments till 2014, there used to be high taxes on everything. But, the BJP government has either reduced GST (Goods and Services Tax) or made it zero on most goods needed by the middle class.”
Referring to the closure of industries in Bengal, the Prime Minister said, “We can see how the TMC has completely ruined the state’s industrial development in 15 years. The TMC’s empty promises and syndicate rule have devastated all the industries and MSMEs in the cities in Bengal, including Kolkata. It is this government that had promised to bring 2,000 large industries to Bengal. But today, the condition of old industrial cities like Dum Dum has worsened, with factories here being locked up. The TMC government has also created hurdles for the completion of the Metro work.”
He also attacked the TMC over frequent unrest at Jadavpur University, saying the premier institution had become a symbol of disorder and political intimidation.
“Jadavpur University’s name was once spoken of with respect around the world. This campus was founded on the bedrock of nationalism. But look at the situation today: threats are being issued inside the campus, anti-national slogans are being scrawled on the walls, and students are being forced onto the streets in protest instead of focusing on their studies. We want an academic atmosphere here, not chaos. We want dialogue here, not threats,” PM Modi said at a public meeting in Jadavpur.
Hitting out at the TMC government for not saving “its own largest educational institution”, he said, “How will it save Bengal’s future? How will it save the future of Bengal’s youth? A government that cannot protect its premier educational institutions cannot safeguard the state.”
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Kolkata after camping in the state for 11 days, Shah said that the BJP will bag more than 110 of the 152 seats that went to polls in the first phase and hailed the peaceful conduct of the elections as a “miracle” and a testament to the desire for a “fear-free” Bengal.
Reflecting on the heavy polling recorded on Thursday, Shah said that the high numbers have boosted the morale of people who bat for democracy.
“Yesterday, the people of Bengal cast their votes for change with unprecedented enthusiasm, breaking all previous records. I congratulate the voters for embarking on this journey from fear to trust,” Shah said.
Asserting that the people voted for a change, Shah said, “Anga, Banga and Kalinga”, the ancient kingdoms that ruled present-day eastern India, will have BJP governments next month, predicting a BJP rule in the Northeast, Bengal, and referring to the BJP government in Odisha and the party’s first chief minister in Bihar, Samrat Choudhary.
The Home Minister also lauded the Election Commission and security forces for achieving a “casualty-free” election in a state historically marred by poll violence.
“For the first time in a very long period in Bengal, an election has taken place without a single casualty, which is a miracle in itself,” he said, contrasting it with the 2024 general elections where over 700 people were injured.
“In comparison to the 2023 panchayat elections where 664 people were injured, and the 2024 general elections where 761 were injured, fewer than 30 people were injured on Thursday. This indicates that by and large, the elections were conducted peacefully, and the death toll is zero. However, this increase in voter turnout indicates a change in mood of the electorate and who voted for the formation of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. The overwhelming response received during the rallies and roadshows of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and our other leaders was sealed in the ballot boxes during the first phase yesterday,” said Shah.
Talking about the ongoing investigations into state officials, Shah dismissed the claims of “political vendetta” and said, “The politicisation of administration has become a cancer that the BJP intends to cure.”
Shah also promised a White Paper on “institutionalised corruption”, alleging over 32 scams amounting to Rs 10,000 crore took place since the TMC came to power in 2011.
“We will investigate all corruption allegations through a retired Supreme Court judge to ensure the strictest punishment,” he said.
“I want to assure the constituencies where elections are yet to be held that we will abolish syndicate raj and ‘bhaipo (nephew) tax’,” he said, alluding to TMC MP Abhishek Bhanerjee, the nephew of the CM.
Reiterating that the central pillar of the BJP’s campaign has been women’s safety, he highlighted the party’s decision to field the mother of the RG Kar victim and a survivor from Sandeshkhali as candidates.
“A woman chief minister who questions women leaving their homes after 7pm has no right to govern. After a BJP government is formed, even if a young girl goes out at 1am, no goon will dare to look at her,” Shah said.
Responding to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s frequent “outsider” barb, Shah clarified that the next leader of Bengal would be a local.
“Didi, the next Chief Minister of Bengal will be someone born in Bengal, educated in a Bengali-medium school, and someone who speaks Bengali. The only difference is that it will not be your nephew; it will be a BJP worker,” he said.
Shah said another priority of the new BJP government will be to allot land to the BSF at the India-Bangladesh border for fencing to prevent infiltration.
“Our foremost priority is closing gaps in the border and identifying every single infiltrator. A massive drive against unauthorised encroachment, modeled after the Assam government’s initiatives will be launched. We will also ensure there is no violence during Ram Navami or Durga Visarjan,” he said.
As the state prepares for the second phase of polling on April 29, Shah urged voters to maintain the momentum. “Forget the old elections; let us vote for the golden future of Bengal and form a BJP government,” he added.