New Delhi/Kolkata, May 4 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) bid to shed the "Bohiragoto" (outsider) tag, success in stoking the fear of illegal immigrants, and a campaign that avoided personal comments on West Bengal chief minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee, even while highlighting misgovernance, worked in West Bengal, giving the party its first-ever electoral success in the state, party leaders said.

Till around 8pm, the BJP had won 113 assembly seats and was leading in 93 assembly seats in the state - ensuring that the state that birthed Syama Prasad Mookherjee, founder of the BJP's progenitor- the Jana Sangh, will have its first BJP CM.

Leaders cited above also credited the party's localised campaign, which used slogans such as "Joy Ma...