The Trinamool Congress has been the ruling party in West Bengal since 2011, led by Mamata Banerjee, and remains a key player in national coalition politics.
Prashant Kishor, founder of the Jan Suraaj Party, has defeated BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar in Bankipur by over 19,000 votes, according to the Election Commission of India. This marks Kishor’s first electoral contest and tests Modi’s support among India’s youth amid recent student protests. Bankipur had voted BJP in four consecutive terms since 2010.