'Banglay Poriborton': PM Modi hails BJP’s Bengal sweep as ‘new chapter’, urges peace after historic mandate

Addressing party workers at the BJP headquarters in Delhi after the Assembly election results, PM Modi said the people of Bengal had voted decisively for development, stability and a future free from fear.

“A new chapter has been added to the destiny of Bengal from today. Bengal has been freed from fear and is now filled with the confidence of development. Banglay poriborton hoyeche,” the Prime Minister said to loud cheers from party supporters.

Modi says Bengal has chosen development

Calling the verdict a “new sunrise” on the sacred land of Bengal, he said the BJP’s success belonged entirely to the people of the state.

“I dedicate the credit for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s success in Bengal to the people of Bengal,” he added.

The victory marks one of the BJP’s most significant political breakthroughs in eastern India, ending years of TMC dominance and reshaping the national political landscape.

‘Focus on change, not revenge’

In one of the most closely watched parts of his speech, PM Modi appealed for restraint and reconciliation in a state long marked by fierce political rivalry and post-poll violence.

“Today, when the BJP has won, the focus should be on change, not revenge. The focus should be on the future, not fear,” he said.

“I appeal to the workers of all political parties: let us end this endless cycle of violence once and for all.”

The Prime Minister’s remarks were seen as an attempt to calm tensions after a bitter election campaign and reassure supporters and opponents alike that governance, not vendetta, would define the next phase of Bengal politics.

West Bengal has witnessed repeated allegations of political clashes and violence after elections over the past decade, making the appeal particularly significant.

Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s legacy invoked

PM Modi also invoked the legacy of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and one of Bengal’s most prominent nationalist leaders, saying Monday’s result fulfilled a long-pending dream of a strong and prosperous state.

“Dr Mookerjee fought a major battle to keep West Bengal a part of India. The dream he envisioned of a strong and prosperous Bengal had been waiting to be fulfilled for decades,” he said.

By invoking Mookerjee, the BJP sought to connect the election victory with Bengal’s historical and ideological roots, while underlining the party’s emotional investment in the state.

BJP lays out immediate roadmap for Bengal

Using the victory speech to set out priorities for the incoming government, PM Modi promised rapid action on law and order, welfare and economic revival.

Among the headline promises was a crackdown on what he described as “ghuspaethia” (infiltrators), an issue the BJP repeatedly raised during the campaign.

He also promised stronger measures for women’s safety and new employment opportunities for the youth, two themes the party highlighted extensively in its outreach.

In a major administrative announcement, PM Modi said the Central government’s health scheme—long stalled amid conflict with the outgoing Trinamool Congress government—would now be implemented immediately in Bengal.

The BJP government, he said, would work “day and night” for the development of the state.

Women voters sent message to Opposition, says PM

The Prime Minister also used the occasion to attack opposition parties over the women’s reservation bill, claiming female voters had punished those who resisted it in Parliament.

“Mothers, sisters and daughters have punished TMC, DMK and Congress,” he said.

He further claimed that political parties opposing women’s representation would continue to face anger from women voters in future elections.

The remarks signalled that the BJP intends to frame the Bengal result not only as a state mandate but also as a national endorsement of its policies.

Celebrations erupt across Kolkata and beyond

As PM Modi spoke in Delhi, celebrations erupted across Kolkata and other parts of Bengal, with BJP supporters gathering in party offices, streets and neighbourhoods.

Jubilant Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers celebrate with colours, drums and victory marches across Kolkata after the party’s landslide win in the Assembly polls on Monday.Photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS.

Workers waved party flags, burst crackers, danced to drumbeats and smeared one another with colours to celebrate what many described as a once-unthinkable victory in a state where the BJP had struggled for decades.

The scenes marked a dramatic reversal in Bengal politics and a symbolic moment for the BJP, which has invested years of political capital in expanding across the state.

What the Bengal verdict means nationally

The Bengal result is expected to have implications far beyond the state. For the BJP, a win of 208 seats, it is a morale-boosting triumph in a politically crucial region and evidence of continued expansion beyond its traditional strongholds.

For Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress, the defeat represents the loss of one of the Opposition’s most prominent power centres.

For now, however, the BJP leadership is framing the result in simple terms: Bengal has voted for poriborton—change—and the challenge now will be to translate that slogan into governance.