Kolkata, 13 July – In the recently concluded by-elections in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) achieved a sweeping victory by winning all four contested assembly seats, further strengthening its hold on the state legislature. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to secure any seats in these by-elections.

Trinamool Congress has won Raiganj, Bagda, Ranaghat South, and Maniktala. TMC's Madhuparna Thakur defeated BJP’s Vinay Biswas by 33,468 votes, marking a significant shift as the BJP had previously led in this constituency. TMC candidate Krishna Kalyani won by nearly 50,000 votes. TMC's crown jewel holder, who defected from BJP, secured a victory by around 38,000 votes. TMC's Supti Pandey won with a significant margin, while BJP's Kalyan Chaubey finished second.

In the 2021 assembly elections, the TMC secured 213 seats, while the BJP won 77 seats. The TMC's latest victories in these by-elections have bolstered their position in the West Bengal Assembly, which currently has 215 TMC members.

After Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister for the third time, the BJP, which had previously enjoyed a single-party majority, had to form a coalition government. The Congress party, which had been significantly diminished in previous elections, secured 99 seats against BJP’s 240 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 293 seats, while the Congress-led Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) secured 233 seats.

The Congress-led INDIA alliance is showing significant strength, leading in nine out of 13 contested seats. Aam Aadmi Party’s Mahindrar Bhagat won Jalandhar West by over 23,000 votes. Congress’s Dhiren Shah Invati won Amarwar by over 4,000 votes. The Congress is leading in two seats in Himachal Pradesh and two seats in Uttarakhand, while the Janata Dal is ahead in Bihar’s Rupauli, and the DMK leads in a Tamil Nadu constituency.

The results indicate a challenging period ahead for the BJP, as the Congress and its allies continue to gain momentum across various states.