Kolkata: After the first hour of counting of votes for the two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal on Monday, the trend is showing a neck-and-neck battle between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the BJP slightly ahead of Trinamool Congress.
As of 9 a.m., the trend for 134 of 293 Assembly constituencies in the state was available.
After the first hour of counting, the tally for the BJP’s initial lead was 73, followed by the Trinamool Congress’ 59. Congress candidates were leading in two seats, while the CPI(M)-led Left Front candidates were not able to get a lead in a single seat.
While the Assembly seats where the Trinamool Congress candidates are leading are mainly concentrated in the South Bengal districts, the Assembly constituencies where the BJP candidates are mainly in the North Bengal districts and also in some South Bengal districts.
What is surprising is that BJP candidates are leading in a number of seats in the minority-dominated Malda district.
Till 9 a.m., the trend is not available for Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in South Kolkata, where the high-profile contest this time is between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari.
However, Adhikari is leading at his native Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district, where he is contesting simultaneously this time along with Bhabanipur.
The two Assembly constituencies where the Congress candidates are leading are both in the Malda district. Former Congress Lok Sabha member and also former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member, Mausam Benazir Noor, who returned to Congress before the Assembly polls, is leading from Malatipur Assembly constituency in Malda district.
The prominent BJP leaders, who are leading now, are Dilip Gosh, the party’s former national vice-president, and candidate in Kharagpur (Sadar) Assembly constituency in West Midnapore district and journalist-turned-politician Jagannath Chattopadhyay, among others.
There will be a minimum of ten rounds and a maximum of 26 in terms of counting rounds based on the constituency-wise number of voters.
IANS
Early trends favour BJP in Assam, party leaders say ‘confident of returning to power’
New Delhi: As vote counting is underway for the Assembly elections across four states and Puducherry, BJP leaders have expressed confidence in the party’s performance, particularly in Assam, where early...
Samrat Choudhary meets HM Shah in Delhi, Bihar cabinet expansion likely soon
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior leaders of the NDA in New Delhi on Sunday, amid growing speculation over an imminent...
JD-U reassures minorities, backs ‘Sarva Dharma Sambhav’ under Bihar govt
Patna: Amid concerns within the minority community following the formation of the new government led by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary in Bihar, Janata Dal-United (JD-U) senior leader and Deputy Chief...
Bengal polls: Re-polling in 15 booths in South 24 Parganas on May 2
Kolkata: The Election Commission of India on Friday announced re-polling at 15 polling booths in two Assembly constituencies, Magrahat (Paschim) and Diamond Harbour, both in South 24 Parganas district of...
National plot to shrink Maratha history, says Shiv Sena(UBT) in ‘Saamana’
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on the 67th Foundation Day of Maharashtra on Friday claimed that the Marathi people were being cornered by "Maharashtra-haters" and "subservient" local...
‘Three people running Bihar govt’: Tejashwi Yadav criticises NDA for failing to expand cabinet
Patna: Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the NDA government led by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, alleging administrative paralysis and...
Exit polls were ‘paid and pressured’, claims Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata: The different exit poll predictions showing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s victory in the Assembly polls in West Bengal this time were, according to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, actually broadcast...
‘70 pc people declined to speak’: Axis My India on skipping Bengal exit polls
New Delhi: Bucking the trend of releasing Exit poll numbers for Bengal Assembly elections, Axis My India – a renowned polling agency- on Thursday said that it has chosen not...
No change in Karnataka CM for now, says AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge amid speculation
Bengaluru: AICC President, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Thursday asserted that the Chief Minister of Karnataka will not change in the near future. The comment came among speculations and growing demands from...
Exit polls project BJP sweep in Assam
Guwahati: Several exit poll surveys on Wednesday projected a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam, indicating that incumbent Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is set to return...
Exit polls predict exit for CM Vijayan and Left in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is likely to return to power in Kerala, after a decade in the opposition, as per a broad convergence of exit poll projections...
Kamakhya exit poll signals three-way battle in Tamil Nadu, no clear majority in sight
Chennai: The latest Kamakhya exit poll on Wednesday injected fresh uncertainty into Tamil Nadu's political landscape, predicting a tightly contested three-way battle among the DMK-led alliance, the AIADMK-led bloc, and...
