Kolkata: Exuding confidence that the NDA would form the next government in Bihar, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Tuesday said the victory would be "much bigger" in Bengal, as the "party would storm to power with a two-thirds majority" in the 2021 state elections. The TMC, which, till Monday, was elated over exit poll results that predicted RJD's win, maintained a stoic silence over the emerging trends in Bihar, while only congratulating Mahagathbandhan leader Tejashwi Yadav for putting up a "spirited fight".
The NDA has so far maintained an edge over the RJD-led Grand Alliance in the neighbouring state, according to the Election Commission website. "We are confident of forming the next government in Bihar. In Bengal, the victory would be much bigger as the party would win a two-thirds majority… The people of Bengal are fed up with the misrule of the TMC, and they want a change," Vijayvargiya, the BJPs Bengal minder, said.
The state BJP unit, however, underlined that the results of Bihar polls would not have any impact on Bengal elections, likely to be held in April-May next year. "Earlier, on three occasions, the BJP has formed government in Bihar, but that didn't have any impact on the party's prospects in the state.
"If we win in Bihar, it will definitely strengthen the morale of the party workers. That said, we are confident of winning elections in Bengal, irrespective of poll results in Bihar," the party's state unit president Dilip Ghosh said. The BJP has set a target of winning more than 200 seats in the 294-member assembly in Bengal.
State BJP sources said the party's victory in Bihar districts bordering Bengal might be of benefit. The ruling TMC in Bengal reserved its comment on poll result trends, and said the "Grand alliance, despite all odds, have put up a good fight against the money and muscle power of the NDA".
"I think we should congratulate Tejashwi Yadav for its spirited fight against all odds. He fought a lone battle against the NDA, with his father Lalu Prasad still in jail.And as far as election outcome in West Bengal is concerned, the BJP is still living in the fool's paradise," TMC MP and spokesperson Saugato Roy said.
The West Bengal Congress unit said it was of the view that Bihar assembly poll results are bound tohave an impact on 2021 elections, as both the states share border. "Obviously election results in Bihar will some influence on the state assembly polls. The RJD-Congress-Left Front alliance has fought well…. People will realise that the Left-Congress is an alternative to the TMC and the BJP in the state," Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said.
The CPI(M), on its part, claimed that people are not happy with the policies of the BJP-led Union government and its allies, and that was one of the "biggest takeaways" from the Bihar polls. The saffron party, after having a limited presence in the politically polarised Bengal for decades, has emerged as the main rival of the TMC by winning 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2019 general election.
With the BJP's foothold increasing over the last few years in the state, where it has never been in power, its leaders are upbeat that the party will end the TMC's 10-year- long rule in the assembly polls.
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