The Bharatiya Janata Party won 207 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly in the 2026 elections, dethroning the Trinamool Congress, which was reduced to 80 seats after winning 215 in 2021. The BJP, set to form its first government in the state, saw a surge in support from women voters, who constituted nearly half the electorate and recorded a 93% turnout—two percentage points higher than male voters.

The Trinamool Congress had long relied on its women-focused welfare schemes—Kanyashree, Rupashree, and Lakshmir Bhandar—to consolidate female voter loyalty, including raising monthly cash transfers to Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,700 ahead of the polls. In 2021, TMC won about 50% of women's votes compared to BJP's 35%, but that support eroded in 2026 amid the BJP's campaign on women's safety and expanded welfare promises.

The BJP launched its 'Annapurna Bhandar' scheme, pledging Rs 3,000 monthly assistance to all women, along with free bus travel, 33% reservation in government jobs, and enhanced safety measures including a women-only 'Durga Suroksha Squad' and dedicated police stations. It also fielded Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar rape-murder victim, and Rekha Patra, a leader of the Sandeshkhali protests, as candidates—both won their seats.

The campaign highlighted public outrage over the 2024 Sandeshkhali unrest and the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder, which became focal points in the BJP's narrative on law and order. The party also promised free HPV vaccines, maternity benefits, child marriage prevention, and economic uplift for women through job hostels and worker pay increases.

The Election Commission is expected to formally notify the results within 48 hours, and the BJP will convene its legislative party meeting to elect a chief ministerial candidate; the swearing-in ceremony is likely next week.