US To Pakistan, How International Media Covered BJP's Victory In Bengal

The pages in international publications were painted in orange hues as they reported the results of assembly elections in four states and one Union Territory. Most reports in foreign media focused primarily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party's electoral victory in West Bengal, ending Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee's 15-year stronghold on the state. 

From London to New York and Islamabad to Dhaka, publications also gave prominent space to Tamil superstar Joseph Vijay, who launched the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party only two years ago, ousting the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party. 

BBC

The BBC focused its coverage on the BJP wresting control of the opposition stronghold of West Bengal. In an article titled 'Modi's BJP conquers Bengal, one of India's toughest political frontiers', the British publication claimed the victory of the BJP in the eastern state "would rank among the most significant breakthroughs of Modi's 12-year reign."

"It is not merely the defeat of a three-term incumbent but the completion of the party's long march into eastern India," the article said. 

The Guardian

The other major British daily, The Guardian, also focused on Bengal results, noting the state, which had been a rare opposition stronghold, unrivalled in the BJP's consolidation of power across the country.

The article, titled "Narendra Modi's BJP wins election in West Bengal for the first time", said the Bengal assembly election results "will have significant implications for India's political landscape and deal another demoralising blow to the already weakened opposition".

New York Times

Across the ocean, in America, the New York Times, in a report titled "Modi's Hindu Nationalists Conquer a Bastion of India's Opposition", termed the BJP's performance in West Bengal 'historic'. 

It said that PM Modi's BJP "broke new ground Monday in its decades-long campaign to remake the world's largest democracy, winning legislative elections in one of the country's most populous states, where it has never before come close to ruling."

It also talked about Vijay's surprise victory in Tamil Nadu. "One of the biggest surprises of the day was in Tamil Nadu, where the party of a political novice, the actor Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, did better than either of the established parties in the state," the report read. 

The Washington Post

The Washington Post, in its coverage, said that the poll outcome in West Bengal was expected to boost PM Modi's "standing and strengthen his position midway through his third term in office".

"The 2024 national election forced his ruling party to rely on regional allies to form a government. He is expected to run for a record fourth term ​in 2029," the article said. 

The report also focused on Kerala, where the Indian National Congress-led opposition defeated the ruling communist government, ending leftist rule in one of its last remaining strongholds.

Pakistan

In Pakistan, the Dawn carried the AFP report on the elections, which said PM Modi's "nationalist party" swept to victory in key elections in "opposition-held West Bengal state, conquering a bastion long held by its adversary".

The report noted that the results should put pm Modi on "a stronger footing while he battles a series of economic and foreign policy challenges, including high unemployment rates and a pending US trade deal, ahead of a general election in 2029."

Bangladesh

Bangladesh's Dhaka Tribune also carried the same AFP report, which also talked about another major electoral shock, with veteran politician MK Stalin, chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, losing his seat to an unheralded rival. 

It said that Stalin's ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) came a distant second behind a debutant party floated by the actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay.