'From 3 seats to 206?' Arvind Kejriwal questions BJP’s gains in West Bengal, Delhi; praises Stalin, lauds Vijay’s Tamil Nadu surge

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday gave a sharp first reaction to the sweeping assembly verdicts, questioning how the Bharatiya Janata Party managed to break through in regions that had long resisted its expansion.Referring to past electoral cycles, Kejriwal pointed out that even at the peak “Modi wave,” BJP had struggled in key states. “The Delhi and Bengal that BJP couldn’t win even at the peak of the Modi wave — in 2015 in Delhi and 2016 in Bengal they got just 3 seats each — that very Delhi and Bengal they have now managed to win when Modiji’s popularity is at its lowest. How?” he asked, raising questions over the dramatic political shift.His remarks come against the backdrop of a stunning result in West Bengal, where BJP surged to 206 seats (45.8% vote share) in the 293-member assembly, crushing Trinamool Congress, which fell to 81 seats (40.8%), a massive reversal from 2021 when TMC dominated with 215.Kejriwal in another social media post, praised MK Stalin for sticking to a welfare-focused campaign.“Thiru MK Stalin can take great pride in having contested these elections on a platform of education, healthcare and women’s empowerment,” he said, highlighting what he described as issue-based politics.He also congratulated actor-turned-politician Vijay for his “remarkable performance” in Tamil Nadu, where the debutant’s party TVK winning 107 seats (34.9%), emerging as the single largest force in the 234-member House, signalling a generational shift in Dravidian politics.The election results marked a decisive moment in national politics. BJP’s victory in Bengal — once considered its “final frontier” — underscored its expanding footprint beyond traditional strongholds. The party’s gains, coupled with strong performances in states like Assam under Himanta Biswa Sarma, reinforced its narrative of sustained dominance.In the south, Tamil Nadu witnessed a political churn as Vijay’s rise disrupted decades-old duopoly politics, while in Kerala, Congress-led forces managed to wrest power from the Left, offering the opposition a rare boost.The results also dealt setbacks to key opposition figures, intensifying pressure on the INDIA bloc and raising fresh questions about its cohesion and future strategy.