Kolkata, June 5 (IANS) Reaping the fruits of a communal polarization, a sustained campaign against cattle smuggling and a promise to come up with an NRC in the state, the BJP coasted to victory in a number of West Bengal Lok Sabha seats close to the Bangladesh border with a substantial minority vote.

Besides, the saffron outfit polled 15-20 per cent Muslim votes in several constituencies, while it got over 5 per cent votes from the community across the state, claimed Ali Hossain, Convenor of the state's BJP Minority Morcha.

The BJP's victory in 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state as against only two seats in 2014 reduced the ruling Trinamool Congress tally to 22, a sharp fall from the whopping 34 it won five years back.

Of the seats won by the BJP, eight are border constituencies - a part of which passes through the India-Bangladesh border - with substantial Muslim population.