People were yearning for change as they felt they were missing out, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told NDTV as results showed clear leads for the BJP in Bengal Assembly elections, which stunned Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool.
"I had very categorically told all of you that we'll win with 170 plus seats. The reason for that kind of conviction was that people had made a decision. People were very clear they wanted a change. They were very clear what they were missing out on. They were very clear that the atrocities on women must end. They were very clear that Bengal must get back onto the path of development," the Minister told NDTV.
"Bhaya se bharosa is the transition which is happening now. Bhaya se mukti is the victory being depicted now," the Minister said, taking a swipe at the Mamata Banerjee government.
At 5 pm, the BJP was leading in 200 seats, while the Trinamool was far behind at 87.
Long considered 'Mission Impossible' for the BJP, the Bengal results are a big boost to the ruling party at the Centre and an eye-opener for the Trinamool.
Asked to list out factors that played a key role in BJP's big result, the Minister claimed atrocities against women, lack of development and credited PM Modi's "clear leadership" for the win.
"Three big factors. One big factor was the atrocities on women, which was so clearly visible during all the visits and during all the feedback that we were getting. So many things were there. RG Kar and Sandeshkhali were bigger phenomenon, but it was so widespread that people across the state were kind of trying to find a way out of this," the Minister said, referencing the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the Kolkata hospital and a local Trinamool leader who was accused of seizing lands and sexually assaulting several women in the remote stretch in the Sundarbans region.
"Congratulations to the people of Bengal" : Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) to NDTV on trends showing BJP leading in West Bengal #ResultsWithNDTV pic.twitter.com/KmsYfWcszb
— NDTV (@ndtv) May 4, 2026
"The second big thing was a major lack of development. Each and every project was kind of stranded. Look at the case of Kolkata Metro," the Minister said, pointing out that when the Trinamool government lost the case in the High Court, they went to the Supreme Court to stop the Metro project.
"That kind of approach towards development was something which was so visible. Hundreds of projects in the state were stranded because there was no cooperation from the state government. That was the second thing," he said.
"Third thing, our Prime Minister's clear leadership and the kind of work that is happening in the entire country, that was now a clear benchmark for the people of Bengal. What they are missing, they can understand now. So all these factors together have brought this," Vaishnaw said.
Asked about the new BJP government's first order of business, the Minister said to "restore law and order".
"It is very important to restore law and order, break all those gangsters which are trying to rule the state and committing crimes against women, that has to be broken," he said.
"Third, bring back the state on the path of development. Industries were hounded away from West Bengal because of multiple factors, syndicates, cut money, the kind of law and order situation which was there in Bengal. It was palpable that people have to leave the state for jobs. Now that will change," he said.
The Minister said the state was losing out on opportunities because of the adversarial nature of the state government, which he said will change now.
"The state of Assam got a semiconductor plant because of the kind of government, the proactive government which is there, they got a semiconductor plant. Imagine the electronics manufacturing ecosystem getting developed in Assam. That is the kind of potential our country has today. We are now net exporters of electronic components and electronic equipment. We have almost 25 lakh people employed in electronics manufacturing. And Bengal was losing out on all these opportunities because the state government did not want any industry. All these things will change now," he said.
Speaking about pending railway projects in the state, the Minister said, "First bullet train will take to Siliguri. That's the first big project we'll take from Patna to Siliguri, the bullet train. There are about 80 plus projects which are pending in the state because the state government was saying no to those projects. Now we'll be able to start many of those projects."
The Minister said in case of railway projects, only three states - Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bengal - were opposing the projects. The results show a change of government in all three states.
Asked how the BJP intends to deal with the structural issues when it comes to industrialising Bengal, the minister sounded optimistic.
"Where there is a will, there is a way. It's possible to do things if the intent is right, if the will is there, then it's possible to do things. You have seen how Chenab could be built by Prime Minister Modi ji's government. You have seen the most complex projects which have been delivered in the last decade. It's a question of willpower. It's a question of political will," he underscored.
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