3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: May 4, 2026 10:40 AM IST
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari Monday expressed confidence that the party would form the next government in West Bengal, owing to strong Hindu consolidation, even as the counting for the assembly election 2026 was underway.
“This time, there is Hindu consolidation, and the way Muslims used to vote for the Trinamool Congress. They have not done that this time. Some votes have gone to the pro-Muslim party. The BJP has also received some in small amounts. I was not expecting such a good performance in the Muslim booth in Nandigram…,” Adhikari, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, said.
Speaking to reporters soon after early trends showed the BJP edging ahead of the TMC in Bhabanipur and Nandigram, Adhikari said he would receive a “good turnout” in Bhabanipur against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by the end of vote-counting.
According to early trends, the Opposition BJP was surging ahead, while the Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee was currently trailing in Bhabanipur.
“The guarantee given by Prime Minister Modi to build Bengal under his leadership has been in his favour. There is no need to be so hasty. I will tell you after 11 am,” the BJP candidate contesting both from Bhabanipur and Nandigram asserted.
Elaborating on the vote-division between Hindus and Muslims in Bhabanipur, Adhikari said, “Initially, it will be a neck-and-neck fight in Bhabanipur. In the first round of counting, out of the 14 booths, six are Muslim-majority. They got 90-95% of those votes last time, but it didn’t happen this time; there is a crack. I am leading in the 8 Hindu booths. From round 9-10 in Bhabanipur, I will be leading… There is anti-incumbency, plus Hindus are consolidated in favour of the Lotus. This is a very good signal for us… There has also been a Muslim vote bifurcation, especially in Malda, Mushidabad and Uttar Dinajpur.”
Besides expecting a good turnout in Bhabanipur, Adhikari said he received three times more votes than in previous years in Nandigram. “I haven’t received the official figures from Bhabanipur, but in the first round, there are both Muslim Front booths and Hindu Front booths. After six or seven rounds, I will have a good turnout in Bhabanipur. All the channels are showing that I am leading. I got more votes than I expected in Nandigram. I got three times more. I fully expect the BJP government will be formed,” he stated.
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The counting of votes for West Bengal’s 293 Assembly constituencies is currently underway.
(With inputs from ANI)
