"Fear has lost; trust has won": Ashwini Vaishnaw on Bengal election results
May 05, 2026
New Delhi [India], May 5 : Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw termed the West Bengal election results as historic, saying that "fear has lost and trust has won" in the state.
He attributed the victory to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the strong faith shown by the people.
"These are historic results. Fear has lost in Bengal, trust has won. This is the victory of PM Narendra Modi's leadership. It reflects the unwavering trust that the public has shown," Vaishnaw said on Monday.
On Monday, the BJP's victory in West Bengal marks a significant moment for the party as it has been a marginal player in the state dominated for years by the Congress, Left parties, and later Trinamool Congress.
As per the latest data released by the Election Commission of India, the BJP has secured 206 seats out of 294 seats in the Assembly. TMC won 80 seats and is currently leading in one for which counting is underway.
Congress won two seats, while Humayun Kabir's AJUP was restricted to two seats. CPI(M) managed to win only one seat.
Despite the BJP's sweeping seat victory, the vote share revealed a more competitive undercurrent. The party secured 45.84% of the vote, while the TMC followed closely with 40.80%, highlighting that the electoral battle remained fiercely contested at the grassroots level.
The CPI(M) garnered 4.45%, and Congress secured 2.97%, while other smaller parties and independents collectively contributed around 4.28%. The numbers suggest that while the BJP translated its vote share into a decisive seat advantage, the Opposition retained a substantial voter base--pointing to a divided yet shifting electorate.
In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election, the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee secured a decisive mandate, winning 213 out of 294 seats with a vote share of around 48 per cent, while the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the principal opposition with 77 seats and roughly 38 per cent votes, marking a sharp rise from its previous tally. The Left-Congress alliance failed to win any seats.
