Gandhinagar, May 4 (IANS) Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s electoral performance in West Bengal marked a turning point in governance, as counting trends showed the party moving towards a majority in the state.

Speaking at the BJP state headquarters, Sanghavi said, “Citizens of Bengal have today been freed from jungle raj, and now the benefits of schemes of the Central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reach the last person.”

Election trends indicated the BJP leading in over 200 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, while the Trinamool Congress trailed behind.

The election recorded a high voter turnout of over 92 per cent, one of the highest in the state’s history.

Sanghavi said the result would ensure that Central government schemes reach wider sections of the population and would open “new avenues of development and employment”.

He also pointed to the party’s performance in Assam, where trends showed that the BJP is set to form the government for the third consecutive term.

“The victory is a major transformation in the politics of the country,” he said, thanking voters for their support.

He also paid tribute to party workers and their families, saying their sustained efforts and sacrifices had contributed to the outcome.

Celebrations at the venue included chanting, music and the distribution of sweets, with leaders and workers also sampling jhalmuri at a stall set up during the event.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma were among those present.

The BJP also secured a decisive victory in the Umreth Assembly by-election in Gujarat’s Anand district, with its candidate Harshad Parmar winning by a margin of more than 30,000 votes after the completion of 23 rounds of counting.

The bypoll, held on April 23, was necessitated by the death of sitting BJP MLA Govind Parmar.

Polling recorded a turnout of around 54.4 per cent, reflecting moderate voter participation across the constituency.

–IANS

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