With the 2026 Bengal Assembly elections on the horizon, Trinamool Congress (TMC) All India General Secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee made bold political forecasts during his annual Silent Revolution meeting, asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win fewer than 50 seats—down from the 77 they secured in 2021—in the House of 284.

Speaking at the program organized to highlight his MP fund utilization, Abhishek declared, “They say BJP will seize power in Bengal in the 2026 election! Last time they got 77 seats, this time they’ll be stuck below 50. I make this prediction with confidence, because I have full faith in the people and in Trinamool workers.”
He added that while he usually refrains from making predictions, whenever he does, they tend to come true “by the grace of God.”

His forecast has triggered political buzz, drawing comparisons to political strategist Prashant Kishor’s accurate prediction in 2021 that BJP would not cross 100 seats.

Slams BJP for “anti-Bengal” stand

Accusing the BJP of punishing the people of Bengal for voting against them, Abhishek said: “The Centre should help in Bengal’s development. But they couldn’t win votes here, so they’re taking revenge—on Trinamool and on the people. Who is actually anti-national? Who is withholding Bengal’s rightful funds?”

Abhishek also hit back at BJP’s proposed “Operation Sindoor,” a campaign allegedly aimed at destabilizing TMC by poaching MLAs. He dismissed the threat, saying: “Like in other states, they want to buy and sell MLAs in Bengal. But this is Bengal. That evil attempt will not succeed here.”

Referring to recent unrest in Diamond Harbour, Abhishek accused the opposition, particularly the BJP’s Padma camp, of trying to politicise the situation.

“They wanted to play corpse politics in Diamond Harbour. But women chased them away in Maheshtala,” he claimed.

He also expressed confidence that his vote share in the next Lok Sabha elections would increase beyond previous results.

Jibe at Suvendu Adhikari

Without naming Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari directly, Abhishek took a personal swipe. “You’ll become uncle from grandfather, grandfather from uncle—but you won’t be able to uproot Trinamool from Bengal for the next 50 years. If you have the courage, break my challenge!” said Abhishek.

He further mocked BJP’s reliance on central agencies like the ED and CBI, remarking: “The more you hammer Trinamool with ED and CBI, the more we’ll become like iron—stronger with every blow.”

With the campaign season subtly beginning to stir, Abhishek Banerjee’s fiery speech sets the tone for a fierce political battle ahead. His sharp rhetoric, confident projections, and warnings against “outsider politics” are clearly aimed at consolidating TMC’s base while portraying BJP as a force disconnected from Bengal’s people.