The 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections are being held in two phases for 294 seats. The first phase happened on April 23 and the second phase is going to happen on April 29, with results on May 4.
The contest is mainly between the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee and the BJP, testing her long rule. High voter turnout, security concerns and allegations over voter rolls have made the election politically intense.
In the above context, a video is widely being shared on social media in which Anubrata Mondal, President of the Birbhum District Trinamool Congress, in an interview, says, “I’ve never seen polling like this before, with 96, 97, and 98 per cent turnout. I had predicted that the TMC would win 130 of the 152 seats, but now I doubt they would get even 15-16.”
The video is shared with a caption suggesting that Anubrata Mondal has said that no TMC hardly got vote in the first phase of the election.
A social media user shared the video and wrote, “Anubrata Mondal, Mamata Banerjee's dear ‘keshto’ is saying TMC might not even get 15-16 seats in the first phase.”
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. We found that the viral video is taken out of context; in the original video, he makes the remark in respect to the BJP.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the full-length video was shared by Ei Samay on April 23.
In the video, he is heard saying, “This time, people turned out in big numbers to vote; they did not need to be told to do so. I've never seen so many polls, and those figures indicate that Didi (CM Mamata Banerjee) is winning. Voting was held in 152 seats, correct? Earlier, I predicted that the Trinamool Congress would win 130 seats. I now doubt that [they] will gain 15-16 seats.”
While here he says, they; When asked further about the total seat estimate for the election, Mondal said, “After seeing today's survey, I assure you 240 is doable. I've kept stating 235-240. You forgot about how the SIR made elderly people suffer by forcing them to wait in long lines at the BDO office. There was no end to the anguish. Names were even added to the voter list a day before the elections. Several people died. Won't their spirits be going door to door telling people to vote for Didi?”
We further found that Anandbazaar Patrika had also shared the same report on April 23. According to the report, “I've never witnessed voting like this in my life! This 96, 97, 98 per cent polling with such a huge turnout will benefit Didi. Voting was held in 152 seats, correct? Earlier, I predicted that the Trinamool Congress would win 130 seats. I now doubt that the BJP will win 15-20 seats.”
We also found that the website Bangla Jago TV also reported about the clarification Anubrata Mondal gave after the video went viral. According to the report, Anubrata Mondal’s remarks after the first phase of the West Bengal elections sparked controversy. However, he said that the BJP distorted his statement. He clarified that the Trinamool Congress could win 130–150 seats and retain power, while the BJP would be limited to 15–30 seats, intensifying political debate across the state.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false.