Time for change, not revenge: PM Modi after BJP’s win in West Bengal polls
DH NEWS SERVICE
New Delhi, May 4
As the BJP swept the assembly elections in West Bengal for the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the state has been finally freed from fear and that it is a time for change, not revenge, as he appealed to all parties to shun the culture of political violence and focus on the future of the state.
Addressing the jubilant party workers at the BJP headquarters after the win in assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry, Modi said the Congress, TMC and others have been punished severely for opposing the recent women’s reservation bill. He asserted that the Samajwadi Party will also face the wrath of women very soon, in an apparent reference to the 2027 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
In his nearly 50-minute speech, the prime minister said the elections in West Bengal have been special this year, as earlier they were marred by violence, fear and the death of innocent people.
But this time the news was different as peaceful voting took place in West Bengal and for the first time, no one lost their life during voting, he said.
“As Bengal enters a new phase of change, I also want to make an earnest appeal to every political party in Bengal. Over the past decades in Bengal, countless lives have been ruined due to political violence. I firmly believe that this election culture of Bengal must change from today onwards.
“Aaj jab BJP jeeti hai, toh badla nahi, badlav ki baat honi chahiye; bhay nahi, ‘bhavishya’ ki baat honi chahiye (Today, when the BJP has won, the talk should not be of revenge, but of change; not of fear, but of the future),” he said and urged the parties to end the vicious circle of violence.
Modi said it was a special day in many ways as it heralds a bright future for the country.
“It is a day of trust in the great democracy of India, trust in the politics of performance, trust in the resolve of stability, trust in the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat.
“I bow before the people of West Bengal, Assam, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Keralam,” he said at the victory celebration event where BJP President Nitin Nabin, Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, among others, were present.
Modi said on November 14 last year, when the Bihar election results came in, he told the BJP workers from this very spot that the Ganga flows onward from Bihar all the way to Ganga Sagar (in West Bengal).
“And today, with victory in West Bengal, from Gangotri (Uttarakhand) to Ganga Sagar (West Bengal), it is nothing but the lotus in full bloom.
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal today, in these states surrounding Mother Ganga, there are BJP-NDA governments,” he said.
The prime minister said winning and losing are a natural part of democracy and politics, but the people of the five states have shown the world why the country is the mother of democracy.
He said women’s participation in this election has been exceptionally high and this is emerging as the brightest picture of Indian democracy.
“Women power is now rapidly progressing towards building a developed India. However, a few days ago, the Congress and its allies blocked this momentum of women’s power.
“These anti-women parties prevented the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam from being passed in Parliament. That is why I said a few days ago that parties opposing the women’s reservation bill will have to face the wrath of women. Today, sisters and daughters have punished the Congress, TMC, and DMK,” he said.
Modi said the Congress has certainly benefited from the 10 years of misrule by the Left in Kerala, but expressed confidence that the “mothers and sisters of Kerala will also definitely teach the Congress a lesson in the next elections”.
“The Samajwadi Party, which has blocked women’s reservation in Parliament, will also have to face the opposition of the women of Uttar Pradesh. No matter what the anti-women Samajwadi Party does, it will never be able to wash away its sins,” he said.
Referring to Assam, the prime minister said that along with the river Ganga, the Brahmaputra has also showered immense blessings upon the BJP, and the blessings of Maa Kamakhya have been with the party.
“The people of Assam have trusted the BJP-NDA for the third consecutive time,” he said.
Modi said that in 2021, the NDA put forward the vision of BEST Puducherry. The people of Puducherry trusted in the vision and blessed the alliance.
“I want to assure the youth and fishermen of Puducherry that we will keep working for your bright future. The prosperity of Puducherry is our resolve,” he said.
The prime minister said the BJP-NDA governments are in power in more than 20 states of the country.
“Our mantra is ‘citizen is god’. We are dedicated to serving the people; therefore, the people are placing more and more trust in the BJP. The people are clearly seeing that where there is BJP, there is good governance. Where there is BJP, there is development,” he said.
PM Modi said that with the BJP’s victory in West Bengal, the soul of Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee must be at peace now.
“I respectfully bow to the people of Bengal, the people of Assam, the people of Puducherry, and the people of Tamil Nadu and Kerala today; I salute them all. Today, I also heartily congratulate the countless workers of the BJP.
“Every small and big worker of the BJP has once again performed a miracle, has made the lotus bloom. You have created a new history,” he said.
After his speech, the prime minister held a meeting at the BJP headquarters with Nabin, Shah, Singh and former party chief JP Nadda.
Riding a strong statewide performance, the BJP saw several of its heavyweight candidates register significant victories in the West Bengal Assembly polls, though a few prominent faces failed to cross the finish line despite the broader saffron surge.
Among the standout winners was Dilip Ghosh, who returned to the Assembly from Kharagpur Sadar with a margin of over 26,000 votes, reasserting his relevance after a Lok Sabha defeat in 2024.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari emerged victorious from Nandigram, defeating his former aide-turned-rival by more than 10,000 votes. However, his high-profile contest against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur remained inconclusive, although he was leading with a margin of 554 votes after 16 rounds of counting. Four rounds of counting are still left.
In a politically significant outcome, the mother of the RG Kar hospital rape-murder victim, fielded by the BJP from Panihati, surged ahead with a decisive lead, capitalising on public sentiment, while Left-backed protest face Kalatan Dasgupta finished a distant third.
Actor-turned-politician Rudranil Ghosh secured a win from Shibpur, defeating TMC’s Rana Chatterjee, while another celebrity candidate Rupa Ganguly triumphed in Sonarpur Dakshin in a closely fought contest.
Former journalist Swapan Dasgupta opened his Assembly account with a win from Rashbehari, overcoming previous electoral setbacks. Veteran leader Tapas Roy also delivered for the BJP, defeating TMC’s Shreya Pandey in Maniktala.
In north Bengal, Union minister Nisith Pramanik registered a comfortable victory from Mathabhanga, while Shankar Ghosh retained Siliguri, reinforcing the party’s stronghold in the region.
Among other notable winners, Agnimitra Paul retained Asansol South with a massive margin, Subrata Thakur held on to Gaighata, and former cricketer Ashok Dinda secured victory from Moyna. BJP’s Sajal Ghosh wrested Baranagar from the TMC, while Jagannath Chattopadhyay won in Suri.
Party turncoat Arjun Singh led in Noapara, and debutant Tarunjyoti Tiwari clinched Rajarhat-Gopalpur, signalling the party’s success in fielding fresh faces.
However, the BJP’s march was not without setbacks. Rakesh Singh lost to TMC heavyweight Firhad Hakim in Kolkata Port, failing to dent the ruling party’s bastion.
Similarly, lawyer-activist Priyanka Tibrewal was defeated in Entally, unable to convert her high-decibel campaign into votes.
In Tollygunge, BJP’s Papiya Adhikari was leading by a slender margin against TMC minister Aroop Biswas, indicating a tight finish.
The results, declared for 293 seats with polling in one constituency deferred, reflect a mixed but impactful performance by the BJP’s top brass combining high-profile gains with a few notable misses in crucial urban pockets.
