Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday declared that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would "fence the borders" of West Bengal if it rose to power there.
When asked about West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's opposition against the BJP closing off the state's borders, he reiterated that the saffron party would win in the state, and that it would acquire land to erect the fences.
"When I was the Home Minister, I personally asked for land to complete the border fencing. At that time, she was not ready to provide it. The land must be provided for national security," he said.
#BreakingNews | Battle for West Bengal intensifies!
— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 25, 2026
'If we come, we will fence the border,' Defence Minister Rajnath Singh speaks exclusively to CNN News18's @payalmehta100 #WestBengal #WestBengalElections | @akankshaswarups pic.twitter.com/U9XZqaHwRn
This comes after the end of the first phase of elections in the state came to an end on April 23, with the state seeing a record voter turnout of 92.35 per cent for the 3.6-crore electorate—touted as the highest in the state since independence.
Speaking to News18 at a rally at Sonarpur Uttar in the South 24 Parganas district, he reiterated the BJP's claims of the TMC being on its way out in the state, and said that the saffron party would win 110 seats of the 152 seats that had gone to the polls on April 23.
#WATCH | South 24 Parganas, West Bengal: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, "Even in 2011, when 84% voter turnout was recorded, the long-standing Left government was ousted and the TMC government came to power. Similarly, this time, the nearly 93% voter turnout here clearly… pic.twitter.com/TkgAxFAA98
— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2026
Suvendu Adhikari, one of the BJP's main contenders in the state, has estimated that the party would win as many as 125 seats out of 152. Adhikari has contested from not only his stronghold of Nandigram, but also CM Banerjee's bastion, Bhabanipur.
The defence minister has also promised swift implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), particularly for the Matua community, which he alleged was being denied citizenship by CM Banerjee, as a result of which he claimed they were living in fear.
"You form the government of the lotus, and after May 5, the BJP government will ensure that every brother and sister of the Matua community receives citizenship," he said about the politically influential refugee community with roots in Bangladesh, as per a PTI report.
He also attacked Mamata Banerjee over the failure of the TMC government to prevent crimes against women, citing the RG Kar case, among others, assuring that women would be able to roam freely, even at night, under the BJP rule.
