Lionel Messi became the talk of the town on social media in India after the historic results in the West Bengal (WB) Assembly elections. Several fans in the country linked the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner with the results of the polls, which were counted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday (May 4).

For those unversed, Argentina visited India in December last year for the 'GOAT Tour 2025.' He landed in Kolkata, which is the capital city of WB. The visit to the city proved to be controversial, as the event at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium saw major chaos. Messi left the venue early due to being left uncomfortable. This led to protests from the fans, who bought tickets for hefty prices. The incident turned violent with fans throwing chairs and bottles into the field while the infrastructure in the stadium was severely damaged.

This led to the organizer of the event, Satadru Dutta, being arrested. He spent 37 days in jail.

As the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government's 15-year rule of the state ended with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming the power in the state for the first time, the Messi event in Kolkata became the talk of the town. Several people suggested that the incident was one of the reasons behind TMC's defeat.

In fact, Aroop Biswas, who was the sports minister at that time and at the center of the controversy, lost from the Tollyganj seat.

After the chaotic events in Kolkata, Messi also visited Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi, where the events took place successfully at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Wankhede Stadium, and Arun Jaitley Stadium, respectively.

Alongside the unprecedented results in West Bengal, it proved to be a seismic election day across India. Actor Vijay's party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) secured victory in Tamil Nadu, just two years after being founded. If TVK is able to form the government, it will mark the first instance in 59 years that neither the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) nor the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) will be in power.

Meanwhile, the United Democratic Front (UDF) toppled the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala. This marks the first instance since 1957 that no left front parties are in power in any state in the country.

Aayush Kataria is a Senior Copy Editor at Times Network with four years of experience, having started his career in the organisation. He is a key memb...View More

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