Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma celebrates BJP wins in Bengal, Assam with jhalmuri
Synopsis
Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma turned a Bengali street snack into a political statement — the jhalmuri celebration in Jaipur was a deliberate echo of PM Modi's viral Jhargram moment, signalling how the BJP is weaving cultural symbolism into its electoral narrative across state lines.
Key Takeaways
Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and senior BJP leaders celebrated the party's wins in West Bengal and Assam with jhalmuri at his residence in Jaipur on 4 May .
Senior leaders present included former BJP state presidents Satish Poonia and Ashok Parnami , and ministers including Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Madan Dilawar .
The jhalmuri gesture mirrored PM Modi's viral video buying the snack from a shop in Jhargram during his Bengal campaign.
CM Sharma's outreach to the Marwari community in constituencies like Siliguri , Howrah North , and Barrackpore was cited as significant by party leaders.
Further celebrations were scheduled at the state BJP office on Monday evening , with the party also marking NDA government formation in Puducherry .
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Monday, 4 May celebrated the party's electoral victories in West Bengal and Assam with jhalmuri — a popular puffed-rice snack from eastern India — lending a distinctly symbolic flavour to the festivities in Jaipur. The celebration, held at the Chief Minister's residence, drew prominent state leaders and underscored the BJP's reading of the results as a national mandate.
Who Gathered and Where
Soon after the election results were declared, senior BJP figures converged at Chief Minister Sharma's official residence in Jaipur. Among those present were former state BJP Presidents Satish Poonia and Ashok Parnami, former MP Ramcharan Bohra, and Ministers including Madan Dilawar, Hiralal Nagar, Kanhaiya Lal Chaudhary, Gautam Dak, K.K. Bishnoi, Jogaram Patel, and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, as well as MP Manju Sharma. Leaders exchanged greetings and symbolically shared jhalmuri with one another.
The Jhalmuri Connection
The choice of snack was deliberate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier shared a video on his official X account showing him purchasing jhalmuri — a Bengali street snack prepared with puffed rice, green chillies, and spices — from a small shop in Jhargram during his campaign. The BJP captioned the video:
Point of View
From Jaipur to Jhargram, share their identity. Whether that symbolism translates into governance credibility in a state where the party has historically struggled to hold ground is the real question. Notably, CM Sharma's campaign trail — Haryana, Delhi, Bengal — suggests Rajasthan's leadership is being positioned as a national asset, not just a state administrator. That dual role carries political risk if Rajasthan's own development metrics lag while its CM campaigns elsewhere.
NationPress
24 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma celebrate with jhalmuri?
CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and BJP leaders in Jaipur celebrated the party's electoral wins in West Bengal and Assam on 4 May with jhalmuri, a popular Bengali puffed-rice snack, mirroring PM Modi's viral gesture of buying the snack in Jhargram during his campaign.
What is jhalmuri and why is it significant here?
Jhalmuri is a popular eastern Indian street snack made with puffed rice, green chillies, and spices. It became politically significant after PM Modi was filmed buying it from a small shop in Jhargram, West Bengal, during his campaign, a moment widely shared on BJP's social media.
Which BJP leaders attended the celebration in Jaipur?
The celebration at CM Sharma's residence was attended by former state BJP presidents Satish Poonia and Ashok Parnami, former MP Ramcharan Bohra, ministers including Madan Dilawar, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, and K.K. Bishnoi, among others.
What did CM Sharma say about the BJP's election victory?
CM Sharma credited the victories in West Bengal and Assam to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the results reflect the public's faith in good governance. He also said a double-engine government would help West Bengal accelerate its development.
What other electoral wins did the BJP mark during these celebrations?
Beyond West Bengal and Assam, the BJP also marked the formation of an NDA government in Puducherry as part of the same round of celebrations, with further events scheduled at the state BJP office on Monday evening.
