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US To Pakistan, How International Media Covered BJP’s Victory In Bengal
Sanjeev Kumar | May 5, 2026 4:21 PM CST

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  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  , 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  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 The Washington Post 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.


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