The Bharatiya Janata Party stormed to power in West Bengal in 2026, ending the 15-year rule of the All India Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee.
But even as the scale of the victory became clear, social media had already picked an unlikely “game-changer” — Lionel Messi. Memes flooded platforms within minutes, linking the BJP’s sweep to Messi’s chaotic Kolkata visit in 2025. The narrative, entirely tongue-in-cheek, quickly snowballed into a viral trend, with users joking that the football icon had once again “changed the government” after stepping into the city.
Posts dubbing Messi a “BJP agent” took off, alongside quips crediting him for triggering the ruling party’s downfall. The humour leaned on exaggeration, but it drew from a real and widely remembered episode — Messi’s appearance at Vivekananda Yuvabharati Krirangan.
The Kolkata visit that backfired
What was meant to be a marquee football spectacle quickly unravelled. Fans who had paid premium prices were left frustrated as Messi spent barely 10 minutes on the field and could not complete a planned lap of the stadium.
The situation soon spiralled, with sections of the crowd turning unruly. Reports of vandalism and objects being thrown emerged as security struggled to regain control, and visuals of the chaos spread rapidly online.
The fallout was swift. Mamata Banerjee issued an apology and ordered an inquiry, while police detained the event’s organiser. The Bharatiya Janata Party later used the episode in its campaign, framing it as a symbol of administrative failure in a state known for its football legacy.
Meme vs reality
As results showed the BJP sweeping across regions—from North Bengal to key urban centres like Kolkata and Howrah—social media users playfully connected the dots. In reality, the outcome was driven by political factors such as anti-incumbency and organisational strength. But online, the storyline was far simpler.
Between a chaotic stadium cameo and a decisive electoral shift, Messi had — at least in meme lore — “done it again.”
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