An eight percent positive vote swing favored the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), boosting its seat tally by 129 to form the new government in West Bengal for the first time post-independence. In the recent Assembly polls, BJP secured 206 constituencies, a significant increase from 77 in 2021.
The rise in BJP’s winning seat tally was driven by an eight percent positive vote swing, elevating its support from 38 percent in 2021 to 46 percent in 2026, as per data from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal. Comparing the current results with the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, BJP’s progress in both seats and vote percentage is noteworthy.
In 2024, BJP led in only 90 Assembly constituencies with a vote share of 39 percent. However, in 2026, a seven percent positive vote swing enabled BJP to increase its seat count by 116 compared to 2024. The combined vote percentage share of CPI(M)-led Left Front and Congress this time stands at around eight percent, with Congress securing two seats and Left Front one.
In the previous elections, Congress and the Left Front had a seat-sharing arrangement, but this time they contested independently. The All India Secular Front’s Nawsad Siddique retained his seat, while former Trinamool Congress legislator Humayun Kabir, now with Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), won from Naoda and Rejinagar constituencies in Murshidabad district.
