Trinamool Congress Claims BJP MPs In Bengal In Contact Amidst Post-Election Fallout

According to sources, the Trinamool Congress has asserted that three BJP MPs in Bengal are communicating with their party. This revelation follows closely after the Mamata Banerjee-led ruling faction retained its dominance over Bengal, defying exit poll forecasts. Despite the Trinamool's claims, sources indicate that the BJP has refuted them, labeling them as "false".

Expectations leaned towards the BJP in Bengal, a state that voted across all seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections. During numerous rallies in the eastern state, Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had confidently anticipated the saffron party winning 35 Lok Sabha seats. Most pollsters, including India Today-Axis My India, predicted significant gains for the BJP in Bengal, estimating between 26 to 31 seats for the BJP and 11 to 14 for the Trinamool Congress.

Contrary to these projections, the Trinamool Congress shattered the exit poll forecasts and contained the Modi-Shah surge. Mamata Banerjee's faction secured 29 seats, surpassing its 2019 performance when they won 22 constituencies. Meanwhile, the BJP's seat count dropped from 18 to 12 compared to the previous Lok Sabha elections.

The ruling party of Bengal exhibited strong performance in both urban and rural areas, whereas the BJP mainly secured seats in North Bengal and a few rural pockets. Notable BJP figures such as Locket Chatterjee, Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik, and Dilip Ghosh were defeated by Trinamool Congress candidates. Additionally, the ruling party's candidate Nurul Islam triumphed over Rekha Patra, a BJP nominee and survivor of the Sandeshkhali incident, in Basirhat.

In another development, former Calcutta High Court Judge Abhijit Ganguly emerged victorious in the Tamluk constituency.

Mamata Banerjee had previously dismissed exit poll predictions as "fabricated in-house" two months before. The Bengal Chief Minister criticized such forecasts as unreliable, pointing out previous inaccuracies in the predictions for the 2016 and 2021 Bengal Assembly elections.