Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday praised the Bharatiya Janata Party and its Mahayuti allies for their performance in Maharashtra civic elections, saying the party is now winning in areas once considered difficult to gain support. Addressing a public meeting in Malda, Modi attributed the victories in Maharashtra and Kerala to young voters’ trust in the BJP’s development agenda. “The results of the urban local body elections in Maharashtra were announced yesterday. The BJP has achieved a historic victory in these elections. In particular, the BJP has secured a record victory for the first time in Mumbai, in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), one of the world's largest municipal corporations, which is a significant development in Maharashtra politics. A few days ago, the BJP also elected its first mayor in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala. This shows that even in places where winning elections was once considered impossible for the BJP, the party is now receiving unprecedented support,” PM Modi said.
In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, the BJP-Shinde Sena alliance emerged as the single largest bloc. The BJP won 89 seats, while its ally, the Shinde Sena, secured 29. Mahayuti also won key civic bodies including Thane, Pune, and Pimpri-Chinchwad, among 29 municipalities that went to polls.
Further, PM Modi said that the BJP's victory in tough areas will also translate into the party securing West Bengal in the Assembly elections later this year. "This demonstrates the immense trust that the country's voters, the Gen-Z, have in the BJP's development model. Even in areas where lies and rumours were spread about the BJP for years, voters are now giving us their blessings. Seeing your enthusiasm today, I am confident that this time the people of Bengal will also ensure a resounding victory for the BJP," he said as quoted by ANI.
Earlier in the day, Modi flagged off India’s first Vande Bharat sleeper train from Malda on the Howrah-Guwahati (Kamakhya) route. During his address, he assured the Matua Namasudra community in West Bengal of full protection under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. "Our refugees, the people of the Matua Namasudra community, who have come here to escape religious persecution in neighbouring countries, have nothing to fear. The Constitution grants these fellow citizens the right to live in India. Modi, through the CAA, has provided complete security to these refugees," he said.