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    COVER STORY                                                               MAY 08, 2026     |  The Indian Eye                    4

                                   ASSEMBLY ELECTION RESULTS

                    A POLITICAL

             EARTHQUAKE

             Assembly results across key states reveal a profound and uneven transformation in India’s political landscape

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            tory. The scale of the Bharatiya Ja-
                                                                                                                  nata Party’s (BJP) victory—207 seats
            Kolkata / Guwahati / Chennai
                                                                                                                  in  a  293-member  assembly—goes
                  he 2026 assembly election re-                                                                   far beyond a routine electoral win.
                  sults mark a turning point in                                                                   It represents the collapse of a deep-
            TIndian politics, revealing a                                                                         ly entrenched political order and the
            dramatic reshaping of power across                                                                    arrival of a new axis of power in east-
            regions. From the BJP’s historic                                                                      ern India. For decades, West Bengal
            breakthrough in West Bengal to its                                                                    had been synonymous with ideolog-
            consolidation in Assam, and the un-                                                                   ical  continuity:  first  under  the  Left
            expected disruption in Tamil Nadu,                                                                    Front and then under the Trinamool
            the verdict signals a shift that goes be-                                                             Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Ba-
            yond routine electoral change. What                                                                   nerjee. That continuity has now been
            emerges is not a single political wave                                                                decisively broken.
            but a series of state-specific upheav-                                                                    The BJP’s transformation from a
            als, each altering the balance of pow-                                                                marginal player to the dominant polit-
            er. Together, these outcomes point to                                                                 ical force in Bengal has been gradual
            a deeper churn in voter preferences,                                                                  but strategic. Its earlier tally of 77 seats
            party structures, and the evolving na-                                                                had already hinted at a rising trajecto-
            ture of electoral politics in India.                                                                  ry. However, the leap to 207 seats was
                Nowhere is this transformation                                                                    beyond even optimistic projections
            more striking than in West Bengal,                                                                    within the party. This dramatic surge
            where  the  BJP  has  dismantled  a                                                                   reflects a combination of factors: sus-
            long-standing political order. Once                                                                   tained grassroots mobilization, a high-
            considered a marginal force, the par-                                                                 ly aggressive campaign, and the ability
            ty surged to a commanding majority,                                                                   to identify and amplify vulnerabilities
            ending over a decade of rule by Ma-                                                                   in the incumbent regime.
            mata Banerjee and her Trinamool                                                                           The campaign itself was marked
            Congress.                                                                                             by intense polarization. The BJP tar-
                The scale of the victory—along                                                                    geted the TMC on issues ranging
            with Banerjee’s defeat in her strong-                                                                 from governance and corruption to
            hold—underscores the depth of the                                                                     alleged appeasement politics. It also
            shift. Yet, the relatively narrow vote                                                                outperformed the ruling party in mak-
            share gap also reveals a divided elec-                                                                ing welfare promises to various sec-
            torate,  suggesting  that  while  power   Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Nitin Nabin at party Headquarters after their mas-  tions of society, ensuring that its cam-
            has changed hands decisively, the po-                                                                 paign was not merely oppositional but
            litical  contest  in  Bengal  remains  far   sive win in the W. Bengal, Assam and Puducherry Assembly election on Monday (ANI Photo/Amit)  also aspirational. The debate over the
            from settled.                                                                                         Special Intensive Revision of elector-
                Beyond Bengal, the broader elec-  Vijay has upended decades of Dra-  formation reshaping India’s  political   al rolls added further heat, turning
            toral map tells a story of both consol-  vidian politics. Meanwhile, Kerala   landscape.              the election into a high-stakes contest
            idation and disruption. In Assam, the   has delivered a decisive mandate to   Bengal: The Fall of a Fortress  over both legitimacy and governance.
            BJP has entrenched its dominance   the Congress-led alliance, offering a                                  Yet, the numbers reveal a more
            with a third consecutive victory un-  counterpoint to the BJP’s rise. Taken   he  2026  West  Bengal  Assem-  nuanced story. While the BJP secured
            der Himanta Biswa Sarma, while in   together, these results suggest not a   bly  election  marks  a  defining   a commanding majority in terms of
            Tamil Nadu, actor-turned-politician   uniform trend but a fragmented trans- Trupture in India’s political his-  Continued on next page... >>

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