By Mukesh 
A day after scripting a historic mandate in West Bengal, the BJP on Tuesday (May 5, 2026) inched its tally up to 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, following a recount-triggered victory in the Rajarhat-New Town constituency, adding a final layer of drama to an already landmark verdict.
The additional seat came after BJP candidate Piyush Kanodia defeated sitting two-term TMC MLA Tapash Chatterjee by a slender margin of 309 votes after a recount, pushing the party’s final tally from 206 to 207.