BJP-led NDA sweeps SC-ST seats in West Bengal and Assam polls
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have swept the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes seats in the just-concluded Assembly elections in Assam and West Bengal, and the NDA partners too have performed strongly in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
In Assam, the performance of the BJP and its alliance partners reflected a strong consolidation across reserved constituencies, as out of the nine SC reserved constituencies, the BJP won five seats, and the NDA partner AGP won three. Just one seat went to the Congress.
There are 18 ST reserved constituencies in Assam, and all of them were bagged by the NDA - as many as 13 by the BJP and five by the NDA partner BPF. One general seat was won by a tribal candidate of another NDA ally, AGP.
The results show a clear consolidation of the SC and ST voters towards the BJP-led NDA, turning reserved constituencies into a decisive electoral pillar, sources said.
The delimitation of constituencies played a structural role, increasing the weight of indigenous and tribal-reserved constituencies from 16 to 19 and SC reserved constituencies from eight to nine, they said. Strong tribal mobilisation through allies like the BPF, combined with the BJP’s expansion in Upper Assam and hill regions, ensured near-total control over ST seats by the NDA, the sources said.
In West Bengal, the 2026 Assembly election results mark a decisive political realignment in reserved constituencies.
Out of 68 SC reserved constituencies, the BJP won 51 (75 per cent of the SC seats), leaving just 17 for the TMC, signalling a clear consolidation of the Dalit support for the BJP, the sources noted.
In the ST reserved seats, the shift is even sharper: BJP swept all 16, reflecting a uniform mandate across tribal regions like North Bengal and Junglemahal.
Overall, the BJP secured 67 of 84 SC/ST seats, reducing the TMC to 17 and wiping out other parties, an overwhelming dominance in segments once seen as fragmented and contested.
“This outcome indicates that the BJP not only expanded its electoral base but also achieved deep penetration among historically marginalised social groups, converting reserved constituencies into a strong pillar of its overall electoral dominance in the State,” a source said.
The sources said a unified shift of the Matua community significantly boosted the BJP’s performance across SC-dominated seats, especially in border regions.
In Tamil Nadu, the NDA ally AIADMK won nine out of 46 SC reserved seats and one out of two ST reserved seats. In Puducherry, NDA ally AINRC won two out of the five SC reserved constituencies.
The BJP on Monday scripted history by winning 206 seats to secure more than a two-thirds majority in the West Bengal Assembly polls, ending the TMC’s 15-year rule.
The ruling NDA is set to form the Government in Assam for the third consecutive term after securing a two-thirds majority, with a record high of 102 seats in the 126-member Assembly, while the Congress-led Opposition delivered its worst performance in recent times.
Actor-politician Vijay’s TVK created a record of sorts in the electoral history of Tamil Nadu as he emerged as the single largest party by delivering a shock defeat to incumbent DMK in its debut election.
In Puducherry, the All India NR Congress has emerged victorious in 12 out of the 16 seats it contested, and the BJP won four of the 10 seats it fought.
The AIADMK and Latchia Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), other NDA constituents, emerged successful from one seat each and the combine has 18 seats in the 30-member House, two more than the magic number of 16 required to form a Government.
Besides, there would be three nominated members.
