The BJP will form the next government in Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly, on Monday asserted as early trends showed his party nearing the halfway mark and even crossing it on some TV channels.

Adhikari is seeking a re-election from Nandigram and taking on chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata’s Bhabanipur seat.

"BJP will form the government," he said.

Maintaining that Muslim voters have not gone en masse with the TMC in this election, he claimed that a similar trend can be seen in Bhabanipur.

"Initially, it will be a neck-to-neck fight in Bhabanipur,” he said. “In the first round of counting, out of the 14 booths, six are Muslim majority. They used to get 90-95 per cent of those votes last time, but it didn't happen this time; there is a crack. I am leading in the eight Hindu booths. From round nine-10 in Bhabanipur, I will be leading.

“There is anti-incumbency, plus Hindus are consolidated in favour of the lotus. This is a very good signal for us. There has also been a Muslim vote bifurcation, especially in Malda, Mushidabad and Uttar Dinajpur," he added.