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Several global media outlets described the outcome as a major breakthrough for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP in a state considered a stronghold of the TMC.
BJP supporters apply ‘gulal’ amid celebrations during vote tabulation on the day of West Bengal Assembly election results, in Kolkata. (IMAGE: PTI)
BJP Bengal Win: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) sweeping victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections has drawn widespread attention from international media, with major global publications highlighting it as a significant political shift in India.
The BJP secured 206 seats- well beyond the two-thirds majority mark- bringing an end to the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) 15-year rule in the state. Final figures showed the saffron party winning 206 seats, while the TMC lagged behind with 80 seats and a marginal lead in one constituency, as per Election Commission data on Tuesday morning.
From London to New York, and Islamabad to Dhaka, leading international outlets prominently featured the Bengal results, often placing them at the centre of their coverage of the broader assembly elections held across four states– West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and one Union Territory-Puducherry.
Several global media outlets described the outcome as a major breakthrough for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP in a state considered a stronghold of the TMC.
Alongside Bengal, global media also turned its attention to developments in southern India, where Tamil actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay made headlines after his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party unseated the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
How International Media Reported Bengal Elections?
The New York Times: Leading US news outlet The New York Times published a report titled, “Modi’s Hindu Nationalists Conquer a Bastion of India’s Opposition”, which dubbed the BJP’s performance in the TMC bastion as “historic.”
It said that PM Modi’s BJP “broke new ground Monday in its decades-long campaign to remake the world’s largest democracy, winning legislative elections in one of the country’s most populous states, where it has never before come close to ruling.”
Washington Post: In its coverage, The Washington Post said the West Bengal poll results are likely to boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s standing and strengthen his position midway through his third term. The report noted that after the 2024 general election, his party had to depend on regional allies to form the government, and added that he is expected to seek a record fourth term in 2029.
It also highlighted developments in Kerala, where the Congress-led opposition defeated the ruling Left government, ending its hold over one of its last strongholds.
Al Jazeera: Al Jazeera, reporting on the Bengal verdict, underscored the BJP’s repeated charge that Mamata Banerjee’s politics centred on minority appeasement. It noted that despite this criticism, the TMC ruled the state for 15 years, during which the BJP grew from a fringe player into a key challenger.
BBC: In its coverage, BBC highlighted the BJP’s capture of West Bengal, describing it as a major breakthrough in one of India’s toughest political battlegrounds.
In an article titled “Modi’s BJP conquers Bengal”, the publication said the victory could rank among the most significant achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 12-year tenure, adding that it marked not just the defeat of a three-term incumbent but also the party’s deeper expansion into eastern India.
The Guardian: The Guardian, also focused on Bengal results, noting the state, which had been a rare opposition stronghold, unrivalled in the BJP’s consolidation of power across the country.
In an article titled “Narendra Modi’s BJP wins election in West Bengal for the first time,” the report said the results are expected to have significant implications for India’s political landscape and could deal a further setback to an already weakened opposition.
The Dawn (Pakistan): In Pakistan, Dawn carried an AFP report describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “nationalist party” sweeping to victory in the opposition-held state of West Bengal, capturing a stronghold long controlled by its rival.
The report said the outcome could strengthen Modi’s position as he deals with economic and foreign policy challenges, including unemployment and a pending US trade deal, ahead of the 2029 general election.
Dhaka: In Bangladesh, Dhaka Tribune published the same AFP report, which also highlighted a major upset in Tamil Nadu, where Chief Minister M.K. Stalin lost his seat. His party, the DMK, finished a distant second to a new outfit led by actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay.
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