Kolkata, India – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party swept to victory Monday in key elections in opposition-held West Bengal state, conquering a bastion long held by its adversary.
Votes were still being counted under tight security in the state of more than 100 million people, one of five states and territories that held elections in April and May where results were also being announced on Monday.
But the latest results from the Election Commission of India showed Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won a landmark 206 out of 294 seats in the legislative assembly, marking its first-ever electoral victory in West Bengal.
