West Bengal Election 2026: TMC MP Derek O'Brien challenges PM Modi to resign if Mamata Banerjee and her party win polls

Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien on Wednesday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step down if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is defeated by the Mamata Banerjee-led party in the West Bengal Assembly elections, which concluded on Wednesday.

O'Brien, in a video message, said that PM Modi had made himself the face of the BJP campaign across all 294 Assembly constituencies in the state and urged him to take up the challenge.

"You yourself announced that you are the candidate in all 294 seats in Bengal. Stop making tall claims and accept this challenge. On May 4, when Mamata Banerjee and the TMC win Bengal, have the courage to resign from the post of PM," O'Brien stated.

West Bengal election phase 2 voting

West Bengal recorded a voter turnout of 78.68 per cent till 3:30 PM on Wednesday during the second phase of polling for the Assembly elections. This phase covers 142 of the state’s 294 seats, with around 3.21 crore voters eligible to cast their ballots, including 1,64,35,627 men, 1,57,37,418 women, and 792 transgender voters. A total of 1,448 candidates, including 220 women, are contesting across 41,001 polling stations, more than 8,000 of which are being managed entirely by women.

Purba Bardhaman registered the highest voter turnout at 83.11 per cent, followed by Hooghly with 80.77 per cent and Nadia with 79.79 per cent.

Howrah recorded 77.73 per cent polling, while North 24 Parganas saw 77.39 per cent turnout. Kolkata North and Kolkata South reported 78 per cent and 75.38 per cent voting respectively. South 24 Parganas, where several high-profile contests are taking place, registered 76.75 per cent polling.

Mamata Banerjee casts vote

Banerjee cast her vote at a polling station in Kolkata on Wednesday during the second phase of the Assembly elections. She is contesting the polls from the Bhabanipur constituency.

After voting, Banerjee alleged that personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were assaulting people and taking them into custody. She also claimed that despite such incidents, which she described as contempt of court, the TMC would emerge victorious.

"The CRPF personnel and central observers are beating people; they have not even spared women and children. Since last night, they have started atrocities. How many of our people have they taken into custody? This is contempt of court. I have never seen such democracy. We will win, TMC is winning," ANI quoted West Bengal CM as saying.

Although 142 seats are being contested, major attention is focused on the ‘Big Five’ urban constituencies. Along with the high-profile Bhabanipur seat, Tollyganj, considered the hub of the Bengali film industry, has emerged as a prominent and star-studded contest.

In the 2021 elections, the Trinamool Congress dominated this region, winning 123 of the 142 seats.

For the BJP, this phase is crucial to strengthen its presence among the urban “bhadralok” voters and the Matua community, while for the TMC, the goal is to retain its stronghold and secure a fourth consecutive term for Mamata Banerjee.

The counting of votes is scheduled for 4 May.

(With inputs from agencies)