Is the Bengal mandate of 2026 a sign of rising nationalism or just anti-incumbency after 15 years of rule? The verdict raises sharp questions on identity, politics, and voter intent in West Bengal.
By NIRENDRA DEV
Kolkata, May 4, 2026 — Some Good must come of the BJP victory in West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee’s career has been a story of stupendous success as much as this latest tragic tale of downfall. The Bengal mandate is a display of Hindu resurgence, but guided by nationalism.
Can banner, bickering, and mayhem now become a history in West Bengal? West Bengal mandate is certainly a display of Hindu resurgence. But it was guided by genuine nationalism.
Answering to a query on ‘BJP leading in Muslim dominated areas,’ BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said: “There has been a Muslim bifurcation. This bifurcation is particularly evident in Malda, Murshidabad, and North Dinajpur. In South Bengal and Cooch Behar, Muslims are still initially leaning more towards the TMC, but the kind of 90–95% consolidation seen in 2021 and 2024 is no longer there.” He added that “there are visible cracks in that support base.”
As counting is underway in four states and one UT, the BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam said: “It will be a historic performance, whether in West Bengal, Kerala, or Puducherry. We are expecting a clean sweep in West Bengal. You will see that there will be surprising results in favour of the NDA even in Tamil Nadu.”
He added that “this will be a historic performance because people want a government that works in the interest of the public and the state.”
Heads rolled as Monday, first day of a new working week and the fourth day of May 2026, unfolded. The BJP had campaigned on the slogan ‘char Maee (Hindi for May), Didi gai.’ It’s a reality today.
The TMC led by its mercurial mass leader Mamata Banerjee has been rejected by substantial margins in their own bastions not invariably by seasoned politicians and also as much by certain odd characters.
Suvendu Adhikari is no ‘odd’ protagonist. A creation of Nandigram movement of Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu’s father Sishir Adhikari – the former lieutenant of the TMC supremo today gave a good fight to his former boss in Bhabaninpur.
In fact, he was leading for a while but lately Mamata took the lead.
In 2021, he had humbled her in Nandigram. The BJP has achieved its singular objective of capturing power in West Bengal. In such heightened achievements; people may often say: “dream come true.”
But this would beat such an eulogy as well. It was more than a Dream. They have beaten a “malady” in the TMC leadership.
We may use the phrase Folie de grandeur (French for madness of grandeur) and it refers to delusions of grandeur or even megalomania — where an individual holds an exaggerated, unrealistic belief in their own power, wealth and intellect.
Between April 23 and May 4, the 10-day duration, the TMC was looking for excuses. The ‘excuses’ that would stall the leadership from the blame of defeat. The reality is much bitter.
And the date with destiny cannot be postponed for ever.
In 2005, Lalu Prasad had faced such a situation in Bihar. Postal ballot momentum appears to have translated into a strong early lead for the BJP in West Bengal, with the party now ahead in 167 seats, comfortably past the halfway mark.
The Audacity of People’s Mandate: Democracy and Power in 2026
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