In a major setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is set to increase its seats in the state to 29 in the fiercely-contested LoK Sabha elections.

Despite the prediction of most of the exit polls that the BJP would get more seats than the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state, the saffron party has bagged a lesser number of seats in the 2024 LS elections than 2019 elections. It has been able to pocket only 12 seats, according to the Election Commission, till the time of reporting.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP had secured 18 seats with 40.64 per cent vote share, while Trinamool had bagged 22 seats with 43.69 per cent vote share.

As per the latest Election Commission figures, the Trinamool Congress won in 19 seats and was leading in 10 seats. The BJP won 3 seats and was ahead in 9 seats. The Congress won in only one constituency.

Last time, the Congress had won two seats. The Left did not get a single seat.

The parliamentary elections for the 42 constituencies in West Bengal held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1.

After an intense and polarising campaign, the TMC has made a major comeback and gave a big jolt to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During poll campaigns, Modi had exuded confidence that his party would emerge as the biggest gainer in the state.

The BJP has been able to retain only three seats-- Darjeeling, Alipurduars and Jalpaiguri -- in North Bengal this time. TMC has been able to wrest Cooch Behar seat from incumbent BJP MP and Union Minister Pramanik Nisith Pramanik, who has lost by over 39,000 votes. Trinamool has also won Raiganj. Notably, North Bengal was considered a stronghold of the saffron party.

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar, who was trailing earlier in the day, was leading by a thin margin of over 9600 votes from the Balurghat LS constituency in North Bengal, according to the Election Commission, till the time of reporting.

Dilip Ghosh, former state president of the saffron party, lost the Bardhaman-Durgapur seat, from where Trinamool Congress candidate and former cricket player Kirti Azad won by a margin of 1.38 lakh votes.

In a major jolt, BJP candidate Rekha Patra lost by over 4.7 lakh votes from Basirhat constituency, where TMC’s SK Nurul Islam won. Notably, Sandeshkhali falls under the Basirhat LS constituency.

Sandeshkhali, a small island in the Sundarban delta in Bengal’s North 24-Parganas district, has emerged as an epicentre of a major political storm for the last five months with allegations and counter-allegations between the Trinamool and the BJP heating up the scene. In the alleged violence and sexual harassment against women, a controversial TMC leader is the main accused.

The BJP fielded Patra, one of the alleged victims of the violence, from the seat to take on Islam. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had applauded Patra as “Shakti Swaroopa” (the image of courage).

BJP candidate and former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gagopadhyay was leading from Tamluk constituency in South Bengal by over 77,000 votes.

TMC national general secretary and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew

Abhishek Banerjee, who was seeking re-election from the Diamond Harbour LS seat in South 24 Parganas district, won by a whopping margin of 7.11 lakh votes.

Trinamool Congress’ firebrand leader Mahua Moitra, who contested from Krishnanagar seat against BJP’s Amrita Roy, won by a margin of 56,705 votes, according to the Election Commission’s figure.

Parliament expelled the former investment banker in December last year, accusing her of taking bribes in exchange for asking questions. Moitra denied the allegations, and said she was expelled “without proof”.

“They (BJP) have committed major atrocities against us in the last ten years. The CBI, ED, Income Tax, BJP’s Home Ministry-- all were unleashed. When I saw the exit polls results, I asked myself am I losing confidence? I have been on the streets for two months. I did not see the exit polls reflected in the eyes of the people,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told the media here on Tuesday.

Banerjee expressed her satisfaction with the BJP not getting a simple majority in the Lok Sabha polls. “There is no clear majority for BJP. Modi did not get the single largest majority, he should resign, and so should Amit Shah on moral grounds after today’s results,” she said, extending her support for the INDIA bloc.

“TMC won in Sandeshkhali where propaganda was done,” she added.

According to political analysts, the support of minority voters and direct beneficiaries of the state government’s social schemes like Lakshmir Bhandar has played a big role in TMC’s major win.

“Around one-third of the population in West Bengal are not with the BJP. One out of three persons in the state is of the Muslim community in the state, and they are not with the saffron party. And, also over two crore people are the beneficiaries of Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. These women are getting monthly direct benefits from the state government. These two major factors have played a major role in favouring TMC to defeat the BJP,” said political analyst Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury.

The Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, introduced in 2021 by the Mamata Banerjee government, provides cash assistance to women between 25 and 60 years. The cash assistance initially had been ₹500 for the general category, and later it was increased to ₹1,000.

In a major jolt to the Congress in Bengal, state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury lost from Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency in Murshidabad district in South Bengal. Trinamool candidate and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan won with a margin of over 85,000 votes from this seat.