The BJP on Friday used its strong performance in the Bihar assembly election to signal its next political target -- Mamata Banerjee's West Bengal. As counting trends showed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) heading for a decisive victory, senior party leader and IT cell head Amit Malviya said the mandate in Bihar demonstrated the NDA's "credibility" and would have direct implications for West Bengal, which is set for Assembly elections in 2026.
Speaking on NDTV, Malviya said the result reflected "the kind of work that the NDA government has been doing," particularly in programmes aimed at youth employment and women's economic participation. He credited Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the BJP in Bihar for "creating opportunities for the youth" and "enabling women to start their own businesses."
According to Malviya, the outcome also marked a contrast with what he called the "disastrous 15 years of Lalu Prasad Yadav," a period he argued had stalled Bihar's progress.
When asked whether the BJP could challenge West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her stronghold, Malviya rejected the suggestion that the party remained a marginal force in the state.
"You undermine the BJP," he said, noting that the party had gone from three seats to 77 in the 2021 assembly election.
"We do acknowledge that the BJP has never been in power in Bengal after independence. But the kind of performance that we put in 2021 was spectacular. We rose from three seats to 77. And we have a 40 per cent vote share. Don't forget that across the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha elections, the BJP has held on to its vote share in Bengal," Malviya told NDTV.
Videos from Bengal showed celebratory scenes outside BJP offices across the state.
The BJP leader claimed widespread dissatisfaction with the Trinamool Congress government would shape the coming political contest in Bengal. He said the past five years had been marked by incidents such as Sandeshkhali, the RG Kar incident, communal clashes in districts including Malda and Murshidabad, and what he described as "death and destruction across the state."
"People of Bengal are waiting to vote her out. The only thing that must be ensured is that people get to vote freely, which is a big challenge in Bengal because just like the 'Jungle Raj' of Lalu Prasad, Bengal also continues to be in the throes of violence," Malviya claimed.
