The counting of votes for the West Bengal Assembly elections began on Monday morning across 77 counting centres, with early trends showing the BJP ahead in a tight contest. The ruling Trinamool Congress is trying to return to power for a fourth straight term, while the BJP is looking to make major gains in the state.
Voting was held in two phases and ended on April 29. West Bengal recorded a historic voter turnout of 92.47 per cent, the highest since Independence. Counting is taking place for 293 Assembly seats, while polling in Falta constituency in South 24 Parganas was countermanded due to serious electoral offences. Fresh polling there will be held on May 21.
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Both the TMC and BJP had raised concerns over possible vote manipulation ahead of counting day. Security has been tightened at all centres to ensure smooth counting.
https://twitter.com/NewsAlgebraIND/status/2051198797154603452
LIVE Updates:
In a historic political shift, the Bharatiya Janata Party is heading towards a historic victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, with the latest Election Commission trends showing the party crossing the 200-seat mark in the 294-member Assembly.
According to the latest ECI trends, the BJP is ahead or has won in around 203 seats, while the Trinamool Congress is placed at around 84 seats. The Congress is ahead in 2 seats, AJUP in 2, CPI(M) in 1, and AISF in 1, as counting continues across the state.
5:56 PM
- Counting slowed down in several constituencies.
- In many seats, numbers had not changed significantly for nearly an hour.
5:53 PM
- BJP leader Rekha Sharma said the party did not expect to cross nearly 200 seats.
- She called it a huge victory and credited PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and BJP workers.
5:49 PM
- CPI(M) candidate Md. Mostafijur Rahaman was leading in Domkal.
- He was ahead of TMC’s Humayun Kabir by over 12,000 votes.
5:48 PM
- Mamata Banerjee was leading in Bhabanipur.
- She was ahead of BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari by over 5,000 votes.
5:47 PM
- BJP had registered 25 wins so far.
- TMC had won 9 seats, according to ECI trends mentioned in the live updates.
5:41 PM
- Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar victim, was leading in Panihati.
- She said her fight would continue and that the case was still ongoing in court.
5:24 PM
- BJP candidate Anandamoy Barman from Matigara-Naxalbari thanked the people of Bengal.
- He said the arrival of a “double-engine government” would help complete Bengal’s stalled work.
5:22 PM
- Suvendu Adhikari was leading in Nandigram.
- He was ahead by over 1,500 votes.
5:18 PM
- Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said BJP’s win in Bengal would help protect the country from infiltrators.
- He accused the Mamata Banerjee-led government of encouraging infiltration.
5:16 PM
- TMC’s Sabina Yeasmin won from Sujapur.
- She defeated Congress candidate Abdul Hannan by 60,287 votes.
5:12 PM
- BJP had won 12 seats by this time.
- The wins included Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Burwan, Nakashipara, Khardaha, Jagatballavpur, Medinipur, Ranibandh, Monteswar, Bhatar, Jamuria, and Asansol Dakshin.
- TMC had won 5 seats: Sujapur, Bhagawangola, Bharatpur, Deganga, and Metiaburuz.
5:08 PM
- Dinhata town block TMC president Bishu Dhar was allegedly attacked outside a counting centre.
- Dhar accused BJP supporters of carrying out the attack.
5:04 PM
- BJP’s Kalyan Chakraborti won Khardaha.
- He defeated TMC’s Devadeep Purohit by 24,486 votes.
5:02 PM
- UP CM Yogi Adityanath called the election results “historic outcomes.”
- He said BJP-NDA’s expected government formation in West Bengal reflected public trust.
4:43 PM
- BJP’s Sukhen Kumar Bagdi won Burwan.
- He defeated TMC’s Protima Rajak by over 22,000 votes.
4:40 PM
- Mamata Banerjee continued to lead in Bhabanipur.
- Her margin was slightly above 5,000 votes.
4:35 PM
- BJP was heading towards a landslide victory.
- Trends showed BJP leading in around 197 seats.
- TMC was leading in around 81 seats.
4:17 PM
- BJP’s lead reduced from 200+ to around 192 seats.
- TMC was ahead in around 84 seats.
4:02 PM
- BJP again maintained a lead in over 200 seats.
- BJP was leading in 212 seats, while TMC was trailing with around 63 leads.
4:01 PM
- BJP workers celebrated as the party took a strong lead.
- One BJP worker rejected Mamata Banerjee’s claim that BJP would restrict meat consumption in Bengal.
3:58 PM
- Mamata Banerjee arrived at Sakhawat Memorial counting hall in Kolkata.
- Counting of votes was still underway.
3:55 PM
- Trends showed BJP gaining a massive lead across West Bengal.
- TMC was trailing far behind.
3:53 PM
- BJP leader Parvesh Verma credited PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for the party’s strong performance.
3:35 PM
- BJP appears set for a big win in Bengal
- Only a few seats have been officially declared so far.
- However, trends show the BJP moving towards a major victory in West Bengal.
- The Trinamool Congress appears far from the majority mark.
3:29 PM
- RG Kar victim doctor’s mother widens lead
- BJP candidate Ratna Debnath is leading from Panihati.
- She is ahead by more than 17,000 votes after seven rounds of counting.
3:53 PM
- Business community hopeful after BJP surge
- Harsh Goenka said there is a sense of optimism among business leaders.
- He said a BJP win could bring industrial revival, more jobs, better law and order, and reverse migration from Bengal.
3:48 PM
- Ashwini Vaishnaw lists BJP’s Bengal roadmap
- Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the BJP would focus on major infrastructure projects.
- He mentioned bullet train connectivity towards Siliguri, completion of Kolkata Metro projects, and restarting pending development works.
3:46 PM
- Vaishnaw explains BJP’s strong performance
- Ashwini Vaishnaw said three key issues worked in BJP’s favour:
- Crimes against women
- Lack of development
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership
3:34 PM
- ‘Machh bhaat’ adds flavour to BJP celebrations
- BJP supporters celebrated the party’s strong showing with a traditional ‘machh bhaat’ feast.
14:32 IST
- 12:41 PM | Mamata Banerjee urges party agents to stay at counting centres
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked Trinamool Congress counting agents and candidates not to leave the counting centres, alleging that results from some rounds were being selectively shown and that counting had stopped at several locations. She claimed the party was still leading in many seats and urged workers to remain confident. https://twitter.com/MamataOfficial/status/2051198753743438245
- 12:30 PM | Suvendu Adhikari leads in Nandigram
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was leading by over 3,000 votes in Nandigram after the second round of counting. - 12:11 PM | Suvendu Adhikari dismisses TMC’s Bengali pride pitch
Responding to Trinamool’s “Bengali pride” narrative, Suvendu Adhikari called it “cheap politics” and said people had rejected the insider-outsider debate. - 12:06 PM | Suvendu Adhikari credits Hindu consolidation and Adivasi votes
Suvendu Adhikari said BJP’s performance was driven by Hindu consolidation, strong support from Hindu women, and Adivasi votes. He also accused Trinamool of appeasement politics. - 12:01 PM | Suvendu says people voted against misrule
Suvendu Adhikari said voters had chosen BJP because they were against alleged misrule and atrocities under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership. - 11:41 AM | BJP extends lead in Bengal trends
BJP was leading in 194 seats, while Trinamool Congress was ahead in 96 seats. The Left was leading in two seats. - 11:35 AM | RG Kar victim doctor’s mother leads from Panihati
BJP candidate Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar rape and murder victim, was leading from Panihati by 2,763 votes after the first round of counting. - 11:11 AM: BJP candidate Lakshmi Kanta Sau is leading from Jhargram by more than 9,000 votes. The seat had drawn attention earlier after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited a local vendor there and had jhalmuri during the campaign.
- 11:11 AM: The BJP has crossed the 110-seat mark in the latest trends. As per current Election Commission trends, the party is leading on 111 seats, while the TMC is ahead on 70 seats. The majority mark in Bengal is 148.
- 11:06 AM: The CPI(M) has opened its account in early trends. The party is leading in Domkal, where Mostafijur Rahaman is ahead of TMC’s Humayun Kabir.
- 11:02 AM: Mamata Banerjee is now leading in Bhabanipur by around 800 votes. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who was ahead earlier, has slipped behind again.
- 10:59 AM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the BJP headquarters and address party workers later in the evening. The visit comes as BJP shows a strong performance in Bengal. As per the latest trends at that time, BJP was leading on 109 seats, while TMC was ahead on 63 seats.
- 10:56 AM: The mother of the RG Kar rape and murder victim is contesting from Panihati. She is facing TMC’s Tirthankar Ghosh and CPI(M)’s Kalatan Dasgupta. The Election Commission had not started updating trends for the seat at that time.
- 10:53 AM: TMC’s Prasun Banerjee is leading from the Chanchal Assembly constituency. BJP candidate Ratan Das is trailing.
- 10:50 AM: BJP came close to touching the 100-seat mark in Bengal. The party was leading on 92 seats, while the TMC was ahead on 52 seats.
- 10:47 AM: Congress leader Pawan Khera expressed confidence in the INDIA bloc’s performance. He said the Congress and its alliance partners were hopeful of winning strongly across all five states.
- 10:42 AM: BJP workers were seen celebrating at the party office in Siliguri after early Election Commission trends showed the party leading on 63 seats.
- 10:39 AM: Bengal recorded a historic voter turnout of 92.47 per cent, the highest ever in any Assembly or Lok Sabha election in the state. In the trends available at that time, BJP was leading on 78 seats, while TMC was ahead on 43 seats.
- 10:32 AM: In Bhagawangola, Humayun Kabir is trailing by more than 7,000 votes in the early rounds. The gap is wide at this stage, but more rounds of counting are still left.
- 10:30 AM: In Bhawanipur, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is leading over Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after the second round of counting. Adhikari has secured 6,380 votes, while Mamata Banerjee has 4,822 votes so far.
- 10:29 AM: TMC is leading in key Howrah seats. In Howrah constituency 173, TMC candidate Nandita Chowdhury is ahead with 7,529 votes, while BJP’s Shyamal Hati is trailing with 3,109 votes. In Central Howrah, TMC leader Arup Roy is also leading.
- 10:29 AM: Kolkata Police has banned victory rallies, processions and public celebrations on counting day. Political parties will be allowed to take out processions only from May 5, and only with prior permission from the local police station.
- 10:27 AM: BJP candidate Koustav Bagchi has taken an early lead in Barrackpore. He is ahead by around 500 votes after the first round of counting.
- 10:26 AM: In Katwa, BJP candidate Krishna Ghosh is leading by more than 5,500 votes, giving the party a strong early advantage in the seat.
- 10:24 AM: Early trends from North 24 Parganas show a mixed picture. TMC is leading in Minakhan, Swarupnagar, Harwa and Baduria, while BJP is ahead in Sandeshkhali, Hingalganj and Basirhat South.
- 10:21 AM: Early state-wide trends show BJP leading on 138 seats, while TMC+ is ahead on 123 seats. Congress is leading on 2 seats, Left on 1, and others on 3 seats. These are early numbers and may change as more rounds are counted.
- 10:19 AM: BJP candidate Pradeep Bijli is leading in Haldia by 536 votes. The margin is narrow, making the seat one of the closely watched contests.
- 10:05 AM: BJP is showing gains in the Presidency region. The party is leading in Kolkata seats including Shyampukur, Entally, Beleghata and Maniktala.
- 10:00 AM: In Jangalmahal, BJP is ahead in seven of nine constituencies in the early trends. The party is also leading in parts of Bankura and Jhargram.
Background
Mamata Banerjee’s TMC is fighting to retain power for the fourth consecutive time. The BJP has emerged as its main challenger in the state. The CPI(M) and Congress are also contesting, hoping to recover after their poor performance in the 2021 Assembly polls.
Smaller parties, including Humayun Kabir’s AJUP and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, are also in the race in select seats.
The final result will decide whether Bengal continues with the TMC or moves towards a major political shift.
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