Washington: US President Donald Trump has congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on what the White House described as a “historic, and decisive election victory” in West Bengal, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured a breakthrough win.
“Just last month on their phone call, President Trump expressed to Prime Minister Modi his admiration and how lucky India is to have him as its leader. The President congratulates Prime Minister Modi on this recent, historic, and decisive election victory,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told IANS.
The BJP’s victory marks the first time PM Modi’s party has taken control of West Bengal, a politically significant state long dominated by the opposition Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee, according to a report published by The Washington Post.
The outcome ends Banerjee’s 15-year hold on power in the state and represents a major political gain for PM Modi, strengthening his position midway through his third term.
Addressing supporters in New Delhi, PM Modi said, “A new chapter has been added to Bengal’s destiny….People’s power has prevailed and BJP’s politics of good governance has triumphed. I bow to each and every person of West Bengal,” he said.
BBC described it as one of the toughest political frontiers that PM Modi has won.
Analysts say the result reflects both anti-incumbency sentiment and a more effective BJP campaign. Rahul Verma of the Centre for Policy Research described it as the culmination of a “seven-year project” by the party leadership, according to The Guardian.
“The BJP had a strong and well organised presence in West Bengal and Modi is seen as a charismatic leader,” Verma said, adding that “this kind of result also wouldn’t have happened without a consolidation of the Hindu vote,” the report said.
West Bengal has long been a bastion of regional and left-leaning politics, making the BJP’s breakthrough a significant shift in India’s political landscape, the New York Times said.
(IANS)
