India Elections: BJP, TVK, Congress Redraw State Power In West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala

2026-05-05 04:23:47

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) An overwhelming victory for the BJP in West Bengal; the possibility of superstar Thalapathy Vijay of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) taking over as chief minister in Tamil Nadu; the return of Congress in Kerala and the National Democratic Alliance's continuance in Assam and Puducherry underlined the dramatic turn of events witnessed in India on Monday, when results for the state elections were announced.

The BJP was leading in 208 seats in West Bengal's 293 constituencies (elections for one seat will be held later this month), as the party overtook Mamata Banerjee's All India Trinamool Congress, which was lagging behind with just 79 likely wins. The Congress and the left parties were set to win just two seats each.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sporting traditional Bengali attire of a white kurta and dhoti, welcomed the victory in the state.“Along with the Ganga, the Brahmaputra has also been kind to me,” said Modi, addressing party workers in Delhi.

Modi called it a very special day for the BJP as he thanked voters in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry.“Win and loss are part of the game. But people of these five states have shown the world why India is the mother of democracy. Today, democracy has won. Today, India's constitutional bodies have won," he said.

Watch below the video post by Modi on X:

'Thalapathy Vijay' ready for action

Tamil Nadu saw the emergence of the TVK, with actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar managing to almost reach the simple majority figure of 118 (his party was set to win in 107 seats).

The TVK's performance in the state was remarkable, and this was the first time it was contesting elections in all 234 assembly constituencies.

Vijay will be the third film star to become the chief minister of the south Indian state (after he manages to get the backing of some other parties), almost half a century after M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), who came to power in 1977 and reshaped politics in Tamil Nadu.

MGR ruled the state for a decade until his death, following which Jayalalithaa, his protégé (the two had acted in almost 30 superhit films from the 1960s) took over.

Vijay, who was born just three years before MGR became the CM, was born in a family of filmmakers. He had his first role in his father's film, Vetri, in 1984. He later emerged as an angry young man in Tamil films. Vijay is also extremely popular among the young and women voters in the state. In September 2024, after the Election Commission approved the TVK as a registered political party, Vijay remarked:“Approaching politics with the doctrine of 'Pirappokkum ella uyirkkum' (all beings are equal by birth) itself is a celebration of our principle.”

After entering politics, the actor decided to give up his 30-year-long association with films, indicating he was serious about his plans and political career.

'Left' out

Neighbouring Kerala saw the defeat of the Left Democratic Front government headed by Pinarayi Vijayan by the Congress. The defeat of his government has brought an end to communist rule in Indian states. For the first time in half a century India will not have a communist chief minister.

Shashi Tharoor, the Congress leader, said the party's victory reflected the“amazing sign of maturity” of the electorate. He, however, refused to speculate who would be the chief minister.

In Assam, the BJP continued to lead and was expected to win 102 seats in the 126-strong legislature. Himanta Sarma, the chief minister, thanked the electorate in the state for giving the BJP-led NDA its third consecutive term. The NDA was also to win elections in Puducherry. Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy is set to service a historic fifth term.