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Published : 06 May 2026, 09:06 PM
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) victory in the West Bengal election has found political resonance beyond India’s borders, with the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) extending congratulations while simultaneously pressing for renewed consideration of the long-stalled Teesta water-sharing agreement.
The BNP’s message from Dhaka combined diplomatic courtesy with a clear policy appeal, urging the incoming West Bengal leadership to revisit the unresolved river water dispute between India and Bangladesh, NDTV reported on Wednesday.
The Teesta issue has remained a persistent irritant in bilateral relations, with Dhaka long viewing outgoing West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s administration as a key obstacle to the agreement, it added.
The party’s Information Secretary Azizul Baree Helal told NDTV that the electoral outcome could create an opportunity for improved regional cooperation.
He said the political change in West Bengal may help stabilise ties between Dhaka and Kolkata and strengthen broader Bangladesh-India relations, the report said.
Extending formal congratulations to the BJP, Helal also praised the party’s performance under the leadership of Suvendu Adhikari.
“I congratulate the winner, Suvendu Adhikari's BJP party. I think this victory of the BJP, under the leadership of Suvendu Adhikari, will ensure the relationship between West Bengal and the Bangladesh government remains the same as before, in a good manner,” he was quoted as saying.
“The relationship will be built up. I congratulate the BJP's win,” Helal told NDTV.
He also argued that political alignment with West Bengal could now create space for a more “sensitive and structured” approach to unresolved bilateral water issues.
He reportedly criticised the previous West Bengal government, calling it a “hindrance” to progress on the Teesta Barrage agreement.
“Actually, previously we saw that Mamata Banerjee was actually the impediment to establishing the Teesta Barrage,” NDTV quoted him.
“Now, in my opinion, since the BJP won the election under Suvendu's leadership, the Teesta Barrage agreement -- which was very much desired by the Bangladesh government and the Modi government -- will be helped by Suvendu,” he added.
“I think the Teesta Barrage project will be implemented under the BJP government now that they have seized power instead of the Trinamool Congress.”
The Teesta dispute remains unresolved despite decades of negotiation.
Bangladesh seeks equitable sharing of Teesta waters on the lines of the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty, while a 2011 draft agreement allocating 37.5 percent of water to Bangladesh and 42.5 percent to India was stalled following objections from West Bengal, according to the report.
India and Bangladesh share 54 common rivers, but only two formal treaties currently exist -- the Ganges Waters Treaty and the Kushiyara River Treaty -- while key rivers such as the Teesta and Feni remain under negotiation.
Despite ideological differences between the BNP and BJP, Helal emphasised that strategic interests often override political divides, NDTV said.
