As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) inches closer to a historic win in West Bengal, industrialist Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Group, hopes it'll signal a brighter industrial future for the state. Speaking to NDTV, the Goenka said he hopes for a policy reset and renewed focus on growth in the state, which he believes have been neglected for decades.
"There will be a shift from welfare politics to sustainable economic development in the state. There is a general feeling that now (with the BJP coming to power), there will be an industrial revival. There has been a fair amount of migration that has taken place. There would be a reversal of that," he said.
The 68-year-old industrialist, who was born in Kolkata, said that for growth, the state needs societal cohesion and a reduction in local tensions. He suggested that clarity in leadership could help restore investor confidence and accelerate stalled projects.
"There is a lot of entrepreneurship within the Bengal community. And I think startups and MSMEs will get a lot of boost," he said.
Goenka moved to Mumbai early in his career and was appointed managing director of CEAT Ltd. in 1983 at the age of 24.
He hoped that if the BJP forms the government in the state, the focus would be on economic and industrial development. "It (Bengal) has been neglected in the last several years, I would say several decades, ever since the communist government came in... Somehow or other, Bengal never got its brand back, which it had. And I hope the glorious days of the past come back to Bengal. It has lost the race to so many other states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu," he said.
Earlier, in a post on X, the RPG Group chairman said Bengal's business community is absolutely delighted with the results of West Bengal Assembly elections.
"Development will be back on the agenda. Jobs and investments will follow. A stronger, more cohesive social climate will emerge. A decisive mandate for BJP is the catalyst Bengal's economy has been waiting for," he posted.
In a political earthquake that has reshaped the landscape of eastern India, the BJP has crossed the majority mark in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, effectively ending Mamata Banerjee's 15-year reign. As of Monday afternoon, the BJP surged ahead in 198 seats, leaving the Trinamool Congress (TMC) struggling to cross the 100-seat threshold, a stunning reversal for the party that dominated the state with 213 seats just five years ago.
