Modi's Party Set to Make Big Gains in Indian State Elections
By Reuters | 29 Apr, 2026

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party was on course to win two of four crucial state elections on Monday, expanding its influence and weakening its main rival half way into his third term in office. Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party was set to return to power in the eastern state of Assam for a third straight term, and was sweeping West Bengal, counting trends on the Election Commission website showed.

India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters celebrate as early trends show their party leading in the West Bengal state assembly election results, outside the party's regional office in Kolkata, India, May 4, 2026. REUTERS/Sahiba Chawdhary

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party was on course to win two of four crucial state elections on Monday, expanding its influence and weakening its main rival half way into his third term in office.

Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party was set to return to power in the eastern state of Assam for a third straight term, and was sweeping West Bengal, counting trends on the Election Commission website showed. Both states border Bangladesh and infiltration into India was an election issue.

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Victories in the polls, which will hand Modi and his allies 20 of India's 28 states and two of its three federally run territories, could accelerate BJP's landmark policies, including uniform civil laws across the country and infrastructure building, analysts and political leaders say.

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Modi said the results signified people's trust in democracy, "politics of performance", and stability, and demonstrated India was "united" in the face of crises, such as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

"These election results...have demonstrated that India, even amidst this challenge ("ongoing crisis in Asia"), stands united, it speaks with one voice, it is resolved towards a single goal…a developed India," he said.

BJP HAS NEVER RULED WEST BENGAL

In West Bengal, where the BJP has never ruled, Modi, his closest aide and Home Minister Amit Shah, and several senior BJP leaders have campaigned for weeks. They have focused on what they called illegal immigration from Bangladesh and the weak local economy under incumbent Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been in power since 2011.

Modi on Monday also vowed to deliver the "strictest possible action" against "infiltrators" in the state.

The positive trend for the BJP in West Bengal boosted market sentiment, with the 10-year bond yield down 2 basis points at 6.9954%, bond traders said.

In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, an electronics and automobiles hub, popular movie star Joseph Vijay, a first-time entrant into politics who launched his party two years ago, looked set to oust the ruling DMK party.

The actor, who goes by the single name Vijay, has a frenzied fan following in the state, which has a history of electing film stars to the highest office.

In the other southern state of Kerala, an alliance led by the Congress party defeated the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), winning almost two thirds of the seats.

The DMK and Banerjee's ruling TMC party were the main pillars of the Congress-led opposition INDIA alliance, which jointly fought the 2024 general election and deprived Modi of an outright majority, forcing him to rely on regional parties to form a coalition government.

Their losses are expected to significantly weaken opposition to Modi in 2029, when he will seek a record fourth term.

The final results are expected to be clear by late on Monday, but the outcome is not expected to have an immediate impact on politics or policy at the federal level.

(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar and Sakshi Dayal; Additional reporting by Dharamraj Dutia, Editing by YP Rajesh, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Barbara Lewis)