Last year, in November, after the NDA's Bihar sweep, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a Ganga metaphor: "The river Ganga flows to Bengal via Bihar". With that, he had set the tone for Bengal and sent a message to Mamata Banerjee. Cut to now, five months later, the saffron side has captured the eastern state it had eyed for decades. The BJP is nearing 200 seats, with Banerjee-headed Trinamool Congress's figures only diminishing. This marks a historic victory for the BJP and a rout of the TMC that has retained Bengal for 15 years.

The results have heavily gone the BJP's way. North Bengal, which had emerged as the party's stronghold in recent years, has shown expected results. However, it has also made significant inroads in several TMC bastions.

In Medinipur, the BJP got the tribal votes, currently leading in over 50 seats as against the TMC's poor five. Then there's Burdwan, another TMC stronghold, where the saffron sweep is prevalent.

Not only this, the BJP has shaken up the key urban pockets in Kolkata and Howrah that have historically remained with Mamata Banerjee. In Presidency regions too, the BJP sweep is widespread. Malda, one of the many regions where voter deletions were rampant after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), is barely tilting to the TMC's side. In Bhabanipur, Mamata Banerjee's bastion in south Kolkata, the Bengal Chief Minister is comfortably ahead with more than 17,000 votes with over 10 rounds of counting remaining.

Commenting on the Bengal fight, BJP's state chief Samik Bhattacharya said on Sunday that this year has been an "election of rejection". "From teacher recruitment scams to unemployment, all factors are contributing to the TMC’s decline," he told IndiaToday.in over a phone call.

Mamata Banerjee's rise – from a tigress-like figure against the mighty Left, to dethroning them after 34 years, and being seen as a potential face against PM Modi – has been one for the books. But her 15-year-rule has been remarkably marked by scams and goon culture. The 'union baji' (union culture) is especially prominent in Kolkata. There has been significant fear among people, catapulted by the RG Kar incident that put the City of Joy right at the centre of attention – for all the wrong reasons. Amid all these, an undercurrent favouring the BJP rose to become the stronger and bigger voice, capable enough to dethrone Banerjee.

Source: India Today