Kolkata flips in saffron surge: BJP ahead in 102 KMC wards, Trinamool in 42

KOLKATA: The saffron tsunami in the Bengal assembly elections, which swept BJP to office for the first time in the state, resulted in the party getting a lead in as many as 102 of the 144 wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), fuelling speculation about how long Trinamool Congress can hold on to the civic body.

Mamata Banerjee’s party has been running KMC since 2010. The tenure of the current civic board ends in Dec, but a BJP functionary said party seniors are weighing the option of advancing the KMC elections to cash in on the saffron surge in the city.

KMC now has 134 councillors from Trinamool and only three from BJP. The remaining councillors are from CPM and Congress, or are Independents. But the 2026 assembly poll results show BJP led in 102 wards, while Trinamool was ahead in only 42.

In the 2021 assembly polls, TMC was ahead in 131 wards and BJP in 12. Trinamool sustained the momentum of that victory and was voted back to office with a huge majority in the KMC elections held in Dec that year.

BJP’s footprint in Kolkata, however, has been growing since, as evidenced in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which saw Trinamool leading the race in 96 wards (down from 134 it won in the 2021 civic body elections) and BJP ahead in 46 (up from three).

Kolkata’s 144 wards are spread across 17 assembly constituencies. Of these, BJP won 10 seats and TMC seven in the recently concluded polls.

Despite the BJP surge, minority-dominated pockets such as Metiabruz, Garden Reach, Rajabazar and parts of Belgachhia continue to be Trinamool strongholds.

‘TMC is analysing reasons for setback’
In Kolkata North electoral district, which covers seven assembly seats, BJP led in 40 wards and Trinamool in 20 in the assembly polls. BJP won four of the seven assembly constituencies — Maniktala, Cossipore-Belgachhia, Shyampukur and Jorasanko. Trinamool bagged Chowringhee, Beleghata and Entally.

BJP was ahead in 20 wards and Trinamool in 12 in the four assembly constituencies in the Kolkata South electoral district. The saffron party won two of the four seats — Bhowanipore and Rashbehari. The other two — Ballygunge and Kolkata Port — favoured Trinamool.

In the three assembly seats in the Behala-Diamond Harbour zone, which falls under KMC, BJP was ahead in 20 wards and Trinamool in seven. BJP won Behala East and Behala West assembly seats, while Trinamool bagged Metiabruz. In the Jadavpur-Tollygunge zone, also under KMC, BJP led in 22 wards and Trinamool in only three. Of the three assembly seats there, Jadavpur and Tollygunge were won by BJP and Kasba went to Trinamool.
In Bhowanipore, Trinamool led in only one ward — 77. BJP was ahead in the remaining seven.

In the 2021 assembly polls, all 17 seats in the KMC area opted for Trinamool.

Trinamool neta and Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim said, “The reasons for the setback is being analysed. Work was done (by Trinamool). There are reasons for this (loss).” Deputy mayor Atin Ghosh said, “Polarisation of Hindu votes, SIR and anti-incumbency led to the defeat.”