New Delhi/IBNS: Amid the ongoing protests against the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Sandeshkhali, former political strategist Prashant Kishor has claimed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can deliver an outstanding performance in West Bengal in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Kishor, who helped West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to return to power in 2021, claimed BJP will get no less number of seats which they had got in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In an interview with Times Now, Kishor said, "Whenever incidents like Sandeshkhali happen, no matter what you claim, the ruling party will face a jolt. But with or without Sandeshkhali, BJP has been on an upsurge in Bengal. Make no mistake. A lot of people sitting in Delhi think the BJP is over in Bengal.

"But BJP is still a very formidable force in Bengal and with the increasing anti-incumbency against TMC for its 12-13-long rule now, the ruling party will find it increasingly difficult to defend their territory. So to that extent, I do not see BJP going down from what they got in 2019."

He added, "BJP in Bengal can perform much better than what it did in the assembly elections and that will come as a surprise to many people in Delhi, who think BJP is not a force to reckon with in Bengal. I feel BJP can get outstanding numbers in this Lok Sabha elections."

In the 2019 parliamentary elections, TMC faced a massive jolt after BJP, which never ruled West Bengal, came up with a surprise by winning 18 of 42 seats.

TMC, which came to power in West Bengal in 2011, roped in Kishor, who now runs a political platform named Jan Suraj in Bihar, and stormed back to power in 2021 with an increasing number of seats and vote percentage.

Just months ahead of the parliamentary polls, TMC faced embarrassment after several women from Sandeshkhali accused local party strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides of land grabbing, extortion and sexual abuse.

Though Mamata has claimed the incident was politically motivated by BJP, the TMC government under pressure organised camps to listen to the grievances and give back the lands allegedly grabbed by Shahjahan and his aides.