Fresh incidents of post-poll violence marred celebrations after the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election results, with reports of arson and vandalism at several Trinamool Congress (TMC) offices across the state on Monday.
Amid the unrest, BJP candidate Sajal Ghosh, who won the Baranagar Assembly seat, strongly condemned the attacks, asserting that “the fight for democracy must remain democratic.”
In Baranagar, the public relations office of a councillor from Ward No. 10 was among the properties targeted.
‘No right to destroy party offices’
Reacting to the vandalism, Ghosh said party offices are often regarded as “temples” and warned against retaliatory politics.
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“Those who are affected today may have done similar things earlier, but that does not justify repeating it. Two wrongs cannot make a right,” he said.
He added that he has urged the administration to take strict action, regardless of political affiliation. “People have given their mandate, and we must respect it. Everyone has the right to support a political party, but no one has the right to destroy another party’s office,” Ghosh said.
Warning against ‘fake’ BJP workers
The BJP leader also issued a stern warning against individuals allegedly switching sides after the election and engaging in violence under the party’s banner.
“Those who have suddenly turned BJP after the results, simply raising our flag does not make you one of us. We worked hard, going door to door, and I will not allow that mandate to be disrespected,” he said.
Ghosh further alleged that internal conflicts within the TMC may be contributing to such incidents.
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‘Will punish anyone involved’
Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, Ghosh said action would be taken irrespective of party lines. “If anyone from my party is found involved, they will be punished. If someone from another party is responsible, the consequences will be the same,” he said.
He also issued an apology over the incident and assured that such acts would not be tolerated in the future. “Everyone has the right to do politics, but violence and destruction cannot be allowed. This is my promise as an MLA,” Ghosh added.
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Baranagar result and key contest
The Baranagar Assembly constituency witnessed a multi-cornered contest with 10 candidates in the fray, including TMC’s Sayantika Banerjee, Congress’s Kalyani Chakraborty, CPI(M)’s Sayandeep Mitra, and several Independents.
Ghosh secured a decisive victory, polling 81,730 votes, defeating Banerjee, who garnered 64,774 votes.
According to police, TMC party offices were vandalised in multiple locations including Tollygunge and Kasba in Kolkata, as well as Baruipur, Kamarhati, and Baranagar in the suburbs. Similar incidents were reported from Howrah and Baharampur.
