India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on course to take control of West Bengal, a politically influential eastern state that has long been an opposition stronghold, in legislative elections reported on 4 May 2026. The result would mark the first time the BJP — the Hindu-nationalist party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi — has ever governed the state. West Bengal, home to over 90 million people and bordering Bangladesh, has historically resisted the BJP's national dominance, making the projected victory a landmark moment in Indian politics.