A day after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered a decisive defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra on Tuesday, 5 May acknowledged the verdict while defending her party's campaign, saying TMC fought a "good fight" on an "uneven pitch" and that it respects the people's mandate to choose the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Moitra's remarks came as the BJP moved to form the next government in West Bengal, clinching a decisive two-thirds majority and ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule in the state.

What Mahua Moitra Said

In a post on X, Mahua Moitra wrote: "The will of the people is supreme. If Bengal wanted BJP then Bengal has got BJP. We respect that. We fought the good fight against unimaginable odds on an uneven pitch and for that I am proud of my leader & my party."

She added: "We will continue to stand & fight for a secular country where the constitution, not brute majoritarianism, is the last word. Jai Hind."

The statement signals that TMC intends to position itself as a constitutional opposition rather than retreat into silence after a bruising electoral setback.

The Scale of the BJP Victory

In the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, the majority mark stands at 148, while a two-thirds majority requires 196 seats. Of the 293 constituencies for which results were declared on Monday, the BJP secured 206 seats — comfortably crossing both thresholds. The Trinamool Congress managed just 81 seats. Repolling in the Falta seat of South 24 Parganas district is scheduled for 21 May, with counting on 24 May, as announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

In terms of vote share, the BJP polled 46%, followed by the Trinamool Congress at 41%. The Left Front secured 4%, the Indian National Congress (Congress) 3%, and others — including AISF and Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) — accounted for the remaining 6%.

Mamata Banerjee Loses Bhabanipur

Among the most consequential results was the defeat of Trinamool Congress chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who lost her Bhabanipur seat to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari by over 15,000 votes. The loss of a sitting chief minister in her own constituency underscores the scale of the TMC's collapse.

The Congress won two seats, the CPI(M) one, while the AISF and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party secured one and two seats respectively.

TMC's Regional Collapse

Notably, the Trinamool Congress failed to win a single seat in ten districts, including Cooch Behar, East Midnapore, Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling. The party also lost all tribal- and Matua-dominated constituencies — communities it had long courted as core vote banks.

This geographic sweep suggests the BJP's victory was not confined to urban pockets but extended across rural, tribal, and border districts, reflecting a structural realignment rather than a cyclical swing.

What Comes Next

With the BJP set to form the government in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress faces the challenge of rebuilding its organisation and reclaiming its support base from opposition benches. Moitra's post suggests the party will frame its opposition around constitutional and secular values — a positioning that could define TMC's identity in the years ahead. All eyes will now be on the Falta bypoll on 21 May and whether TMC can salvage even a symbolic win.