After the first three hours of counting in the West Bengal Assembly elections on Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) established a significant lead over the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), according to trends available on the Election Commission website.
As of 11:30 a.m., trends were available for 232 of the 293 constituencies. The BJP was leading in 147 seats, well ahead of the TMC, which was ahead in 82 constituencies. The Left Front–All India Secular Front (AISF) alliance and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) were leading in one seat each.
AJUP founder and former TMC MLA Humayun Kabir was leading from the Rejinagar constituency in Murshidabad district. In one of the most closely watched contests, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was trailing marginally against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in the high-profile Bhabanipur seat in south Kolkata. Adhikari was also leading from his traditional stronghold, Nandigram, in East Midnapore district, where he is contesting simultaneously.
With counting still underway, officials cautioned that trends could shift as more rounds are completed. Each constituency is expected to undergo multiple counting rounds before final results are declared.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal urged political parties to maintain restraint during and after the counting process. He stated that victory processions would only be permitted with prior approval from district authorities, emphasizing the need to prevent any post-poll unrest.
To ensure law and order, the Election Commission of India has decided to retain 700 companies of central forces in the state until further notice, keeping in mind incidents of violence reported after the 2021 elections.
Repolling in the Falta Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district is scheduled for May 21, with final results to be declared on May 24.
