As the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly Election concluded with record turnout across 152 seats, both the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party echoed confidence in having bagged more than 100 seats.
Meanwhile, a video of Anubrata Mondal, a key TMC leader considered a close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, allegedly admitting that his party would not even win 15–16 seats in the first phase, has gone viral.
In this video, Mondal can be heard saying in Bangla, “I have never seen such polling in my life, with 96, 97, 98 per cent poll turnout. Out of the 152 seats, I had first said 130 for the TMC, but now I doubt even 15–16 seats will be won.”
Raju Bista, the BJP MP from Darjeeling, shared the clip and wrote: “Anubrata Mondal, known as Keshto and considered to be close to TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee, says that TMC may not even get 15–16 seats in the first phase. There’s not just a BJP wave, the BJP tsunami is uploading” The post’s archive can be viewed here.
Keya Ghosh, another BJP activist from Bengal, shared the clip, saying, “Anubrata Mondal, Mamata Banerjee’s dear ‘keshto’ is saying TMC might not even get 15–16 seats in the first phase.”
India Today Fact Check found that the viral clip was taken out of context to make it appear as if he were talking about the TMC. In reality, Anubrata Mondal was talking about the BJP’s chances.
Could Anubrata Mondal have said this?
Anubrata Mondal, once a powerful player in the Birbhum district — part of the first phase of polling — has now become a low-profile figure.
In 2022, he was charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a cattle-smuggling case and was later arrested. Since his release, the TMC’s top leadership has kept a measured distance from him.
In 2025, Mondal again made headlines after abusing the officer-in-charge of the Bolpur police station over the phone, a conversation that went viral on social media. That same year, he was removed from the district president’s post after the party structure was changed.
During campaigning for the ongoing elections, Mondal was seen visibly offended after he tried to speak to Mamata Banerjee on stage. He was videoed storming off as Banerjee kept talking to the other members of the party, including Kajal Sheikh, a rival of Mondal.
Given these developments — and a perceived friction between him and the top leadership — many found it plausible that Mondal could be speaking against the TMC.
But did he say this?
A keyword search for his words led us to an April 23 report in the Anandabazar Patrika, where he was quoted saying: “I’ve never seen voting like this in my life! This 96, 97, 98 per cent polling such a high turnout will go in Didi’s favour. Voting was held in 152 seats, right? Earlier, I had said the Trinamool Congress would get 130 seats. Now I even doubt whether the BJP will get 15–20 seats.”
This quote, while very similar to the viral claim, has a remarkably different conclusion. Mondal reportedly predicted low numbers for the BJP, and not the TMC.
So, we searched for the original video and found that it was published in outlets like Ei Samay. In it, Mondal says in Bangla: “People turned out and voted in large numbers this time; they didn’t need to be told to step out and vote. I have never seen such a high number of polls, and such high numbers mean it is in favour of Didi (CM Mamata Banerjee). Voting was held in 152 seats, right? Earlier, I had said the Trinamool Congress would get 130 seats. Now I even doubt whether [they] will win 15–16 seats.”
When asked about the total seat projection in the election, Mondal further said, “After witnessing today’s poll, I tell you 240 is possible. I have kept saying 235–240. You forget how the SIR made elderly people suffer by making them send in queues in the BDO office for hours? There was no end of suffering. Names were even added to the voter list a day before the polls. Many people died. Won’t their spirits be roaming door-to-door to tell the people to go out and vote for Didi!”
Therefore, it is clear that the viral clip is misleading as it presents a truncated version of Anubrata Mondal’s remarks. His full statement makes it evident that his comments were directed at the BJP, not the TMC.
– Ends
