KOLKATA — As the Election Commission of India (ECI) confirmed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has surged past the majority threshold in the West Bengal Assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued a stirring, eleventh-hour call to her party faithful: “Wait for sunset.”
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo, often called the “Agni Kanya” (Daughter of Fire), dismissed the current leads as a calculated “BJP plan,” urging her counting agents not to desert their posts despite the daunting numbers.
Key Developments from Counting Day
As of mid-afternoon on May 4, 2026, the political landscape in Bengal has shifted dramatically:
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BJP Surges: Early trends show the BJP leading in nearly 200 seats, well beyond the 148 needed for a majority.
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TMC Resists: The ruling party is currently trailing significantly, though Banerjee insists that the “real results” will only reflect in the final rounds of counting after sundown.
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The “Tiger Cub” Call: In a video message to her cadres, Banerjee remained defiant: “We will win. We will fight like tiger cubs. Do not lose heart.”
Allegations of Malpractice
The Chief Minister leveled serious accusations against the central government and the ECI, alleging that counting had been arbitrarily halted in strongholds like Kalyani. She also claimed that her workers were being intimidated and that TMC offices were being vandalized.
Banerjee pointed to the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR)—which saw nearly 91 lakh voters removed from the rolls—as a primary tool used to tilt the electoral scales.
A Career at a Crossroads
At 71, Mamata Banerjee faces perhaps the most grueling challenge of her three-decade political career. Battling significant anti-incumbency, corruption scandals in teacher recruitment, and the fallout from the RG Kar hospital tragedy, she now finds her “fortress” under a massive saffron wave.
While the BJP celebrates what could be a historic first win in the state, the TMC leader remains steadfast, betting on a late-evening reversal to keep her 15-year administration alive.
