A fresh political controversy has erupted in West Bengal after BJP MLA Ritesh Tiwari made remarks suggesting that he would not work for people who did not support him in the elections, particularly Muslims.

Addressing supporters from a public stage after the BJP’s massive victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, Tiwari claimed that he may be ‘the first MLA since 1952’ to have won without receiving a single Muslim vote in his constituency.

He said that only those who voted for him had the ‘right’ over him. The BJP MLA further declared that for the next five years, he would not work for those who did not support him electorally.

Swearing in the name of ‘Baba Bholenath’, he said he would neither issue certificates nor provide recommendations for people who opposed him politically.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, Tiwari added that ‘everyone should now be held accountable’.

However, the MLA also attempted to clarify his remarks by saying that he would not indulge in violence or pressure tactics. According to him, his political response would remain ‘completely democratic’ and non-violent.

Tiwari also referred to the violence reported after the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, alleging that BJP workers had faced attacks from supporters of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). He said he would not act similarly.

The remarks come shortly after the BJP registered a historic victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, dramatically reshaping the state’s political landscape. The party won 208 out of 294 seats, while the AITC, which ruled the state for 15 years, was reduced to 79 seats.

Following the landslide victory, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, marking the BJP’s first-ever government in the state.