In Paschim Medhinipur, West Bengal, BJP candidate Sankar Guchhait visited the Maa Manasa temple on January 31, 2026, with his family to seek divine support ahead of the vote counting for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections.
Following his prayers, Guchhait expressed confidence in a significant political shift, stating, “For the first time, the BJP is forming a government in West Bengal. That’s why people are happy here.” He added, “People voted in large numbers… That’s why Mamata Banerjee is very sad. She is afraid of people’s opinion.”
Despite his optimism, Guchhait voiced concerns about the election count process and accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of past electoral malpractices. He stated, “Last time, TMC did a robbery (of votes) and stole the mandate of the people. This robbery should be stopped… That’s why the Election Commission deployed observers at the counting centres. This is the right thing to do.” He suggested the TMC leadership’s current attitude reflected its weakened hold on voters.
Guchhait’s visit symbolised a moment of calm as the state awaited results that could see the BJP form its first government in West Bengal, while the TMC strives to maintain power.
Separately, BJP candidate Debangshu Panda from the Falta Assembly constituency alleged large-scale irregularities during polling in parts of his constituency, mentioning manipulation at selected booths and voter intimidation. Panda said the party had raised objections over issues at several booths and requested repolling. The Election Commission subsequently ordered fresh voting in Falta on May 21, 2026.
He stated, “We had petitioned for re-polling in the 150 booths where cellotape was put on the BJP symbol… They even rotated cameras in some of the booths… Yesterday, they made a decision on our demand and declared a repoll on 21st May… In Falta, the BJP will win by a margin of 1-1.5 lakhs votes.”
Meanwhile, BJP candidate Arjun Singh from the Noapara Assembly constituency expressed confidence in the party’s performance, saying, “Our government is going to be formed… The people are telling us that we are going to form the government. The people are forming this government… This time, the people have come out of their homes to vote.”
The Election Commission of India has ordered fresh voting across all 285 polling stations in Falta due to “severe electoral offences and subversion of the democratic process during the polling in a large number of polling stations on April 29.” Repolling had already been conducted on May 2 in 15 booths across Paschim Magrahat and Diamond Harbour constituencies.
Polling in West Bengal took place on April 23 and April 29, 2026, across 294 constituencies, with counting scheduled for May 4, 2026.