The Bharatiya Janata Party won 207 of 294 seats in the West Bengal legislative assembly election, marking the end of the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule in the state. The results, declared Monday, give the BJP a clear majority to form its first government in the state on May 9, with approximately 45% of the vote. The Trinamool Congress, which won 215 seats in 2021, managed only 80 seats this time and secured 40% of the vote.

West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya said Tuesday that the Trinamool's return to power was 'beyond imagination', comparing it to the impossibility of Anupam Kher's bald head growing hair. Actor Anupam Kher, a BJP supporter, responded on X, saying, 'What have I done to you? Why do you want hair on my head?' He added with irony, 'In the current situation, I wouldn't wish for it even in a hundred lifetimes.'

Outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refused to step down, claiming that the election results were manipulated and that the mandate in nearly 100 seats was 'looted'. She stated that she did not lose the election and rejected calls for resignation, asserting, 'The question of my resignation does not arise.' The BJP dismissed her claims, with national spokesperson Sambit Patra calling her stance 'concerning' and a break from India's tradition of peaceful power transfer.

The Election Commission has certified the results, and the Governor is expected to invite the BJP to form the government by May 8. The court will resume hearing on Tuesday regarding a petition filed by the Trinamool Congress challenging the counting process in select constituencies.