“The trust of Bengal’s people must not be broken”: Amit Shah reminds BJP leaders

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday urged BJP leaders in West Bengal to ensure that the trust placed in the party by the people of the state is not broken after the announcement of the new Chief Minister. Speaking at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town, Shah thanked the people of West Bengal for giving the BJP an opportunity to form the government in the state for the first time and said party leaders must work to fulfill public expectations.

Shah said the BJP leadership had a responsibility to justify the mandate received from the people. Referring to the political atmosphere under the previous government, he stated that despite what he described as an atmosphere of fear, the people of West Bengal trusted the BJP and supported the party in the Assembly elections. He urged BJP leaders to work with dedication and ensure that the faith of the people in the party remained intact.

During his speech, Shah also praised Suvendu Adhikari’s electoral victories, particularly his win from the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency against Mamata Banerjee. Shah said Adhikari had earlier defeated Banerjee in Nandigram, but critics had then argued that he contested from his own region. He stated that this time Adhikari defeated Banerjee in her own constituency, making the victory politically significant for the BJP.

Shah also spoke about the broader political significance of the BJP forming a government in West Bengal. He said BJP governments now extended “from Gangotri to Gangasagar” and remarked that a government inspired by Syama Prasad Mukherjee’s ideals had come to power in Mukherjee’s birthplace. He further referred to BJP’s electoral growth in the state, noting that the party’s seat tally had risen from three seats in 2016 to 77 seats in 2021 and 207 seats in 2026.

Referring to the Assembly elections, Shah said BJP candidates had won with an average margin of nearly 28,000 votes and claimed that the Trinamool Congress failed to secure victories in nine districts. He also paid tribute to BJP workers who lost their lives during political violence in the state and stated that 321 BJP workers had sacrificed their lives over the years. Shah remarked that elections in West Bengal and Kerala had witnessed high levels of political violence compared to other parts of the country.

Shah also defended the role of the Election Commission during the Assembly elections. He stated that despite allegations raised by opposition parties, the state recorded 93 percent voting, which he described as the highest since Independence. He said there were no allegations of booth capturing or rigging and added that there were no deaths during polling. Shah further criticised the Congress party, stating that it was attempting to question the electoral process after repeated electoral defeats in different states.