Indian Home Minister Amit Shah made a strong political statement after the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections. Speaking at a rally in Balagarh, Hooghly, on April 23, he claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to win at least 110 of the 152 seats contested in the first phase. Shah expressed confidence that after the second phase of voting on April 29, the BJP would secure an absolute majority to form the next state government.

Shah announced that if the BJP comes to power, the party will appoint a Bengali who studied in a Bengali-medium school as the state’s chief minister. He also accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of corruption worth 3,000 crore rupees and promised to release a white paper detailing the alleged irregularities. Shah further warned against voter intimidation and vowed strict action against illegal immigration, claiming it harms local employment and ration systems.

His remarks, including sharp criticism of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and warnings to political opponents, have intensified the state’s already heated election atmosphere ahead of the second phase of polling.