West Bengal witnessed a saffron surge on May 23 with the BJP winning 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the State, up from two in 2014. Though the party has its footprint all over the country now, winning West Bengal has special significance. West Bengal has around 30% Muslim population and more than a dozen bordering districts. As Mamata Banerjee braces for a long and grueling battle, she will surely be confronted by the ghost of polarization. While the Trinamool was able to clinch 43.28% of the vote share counted so far, the saffron party bagged 40.25%.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 24, 2019 14:37 UTC