In a video message, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rejected the exit polls and alleged that the BJP paid a section of media to run such data. She also said Trinamool Congress (TMC) will win more than 226 of the 294 assembly seats in West Bengal.
Banerjee added that the central forces, brought in during the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026, were “working as BJP agents” under “direct instruction from Amit Shah”. The chief minister further added that the BJP paid the media to show botched up figures in order to hit the morale of the party workers and stop a probable downslide in the share market.
Banerjee’s claim comes a day after most exit polls on Wednesday predicted a tight contest in West Bengal with the BJP having a clear edge over the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). Only Peoples Pulse has projected a TMC win, giving the party an outright majority with 177-187 seats, BJP at 95-110, Left Front at 0-1 and the Congress at 1-3.
Meanwhile, Matrize estimated the party would secure between 146 and 161 seats, while placing the TMC in the 125 to 140 range. Poll Diary also forecast a BJP win, projecting 142 to 171 seats for the party and 95 to 110 for the TMC. According to P-Marq, the BJP could win 150 to 175 seats, with the TMC expected to secure between 118 and 138 seats. Chanakya Strategies, meanwhile, predicted 150 to 160 seats for the BJP and 130 to 140 for the TMC.
Praja Poll offered the most optimistic projection for the BJP among the exit polls, estimating a tally between 178 and 208 seats, while placing the TMC between 85 and 110 seats.
Chanakya Strategies has projected the BJP to win between 150 and 160 seats, while estimating the TMC’s tally at 130 to 140 seats, with other parties expected to secure around 2 to 6 seats.
Taken together, the projections show significant variation in the BJP’s expected performance, with estimates ranging broadly from 95 to 170 seats, underscoring both the party’s growing footprint in the state and the uncertainty surrounding the final outcome.
Despite indications of a tight contest between the BJP and the TMC, analysts have warned against drawing firm conclusions solely on the basis of exit polls. The Election Commission’s controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has added another layer of complexity to the projections.
The exercise, which resulted in the deletion of around 91 lakh voters, has been used by the TMC to target the BJP politically, though its actual impact on the ground remains uncertain.