Tense tension is brewing across the state over the counting of votes for India’s West Bengal assembly elections. Counting of votes started at various counting centers in the state from 8 am local time on Monday. According to early trends, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading by a large margin over the ruling Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee.
According to the latest available data, BJP is leading in 148 seats out of 294 seats, which is the magic figure required to form the government. On the other hand, Trinamool Congress has currently won 103 seats.
Counting of EVMs and postal ballots has started since morning amid tight security. The results from various parts of the state show that many heavyweight candidates are in for a tough fight.
In addition to West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Union Territory of Puducherry were in the mood for elections throughout the month of April. Today the fate of these five regions is going to be decided. In West Bengal, polling was held in two phases on April 23 and 29.
The election commission has canceled the polls in Phalta center of South 24 Parganas district due to allegations of election crimes and irregularities. Polling will be held again in this center on May 21 and the results will be declared on May 24. As a result, the results of the remaining 293 centers will be known today except Phalta.
These elections pose a huge challenge for the Trinamool Congress, which has been in power for more than a decade. On the other hand, the BJP has jumped with all its might to win Bengal. Analysts see the possibility of major political changes in West Bengal if this initial trend of counting continues.
We will have to wait for a few more hours to find out which party finally takes over Navanna.
