Suvendu Adhikari sets 180-seat target for BJP, TMC says they won’t cross 68

BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, has set a target of winning 180 seats in the 2026 Assembly elections. Addressing party workers in Tamluk, Adhikari claimed that the BJP would secure all 16 seats in Purba Medinipur district and significantly increase its overall tally. He urged BJP supporters to “take an oath” to defeat the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and said, “This time, I will make Mamata a former Chief Minister.”

In response, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh dismissed Adhikari’s claim, pointing to BJP’s 2021 performance, where it won 77 seats despite targeting “200+” victories. Ghosh stated that BJP’s numbers have been declining and predicted that the party would not cross 30 seats in 2026. He said, “In 2021, they claimed over 200 but got 77. Now they have come down to 60-62. Before the elections, this number will shrink to 40. When they realize they won’t even get 30, they will lower the target again.”

However, TMC leader Debangshu Bhattacharya offered a different projection, using BJP’s past performance as a basis. He calculated that BJP won around 38% of its projected target in the 2021 Assembly elections and 34% in the Lok Sabha polls. Applying this trend to Adhikari’s 180-seat goal, he estimated BJP’s seat count at 61-68. Bhattacharya wrote on Facebook, “If the Assembly trend continues, they may get 68 seats. If we follow the Lok Sabha trend, it could be 61 seats.”

In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, BJP contested all 294 seats but won 77, while TMC secured 213 seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP won 18 out of 42 seats in the state but dropped to 12 in 2024. Despite a strong push from BJP’s central leadership, its vote share declined from 40.64% in 2019 to around 38% in 2024.

With the 2026 elections approaching, BJP aims to regain momentum, while TMC continues to assert its dominance. Adhikari’s 180-seat claim signals BJP’s strategy to expand its base, while TMC leaders counter it with past electoral data. The upcoming polls will test BJP’s ability to improve its performance in Bengal.