Vote counting in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election has shown fluctuating early trends, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at various points maintaining a lead over the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), according to sequential updates reported during the counting process on Monday.
Counting began at 8:00 am local time (8:30 am Bangladesh time) across 77 centres in 23 districts of the state under tight security arrangements. Postal ballots were counted first, followed by electronic voting machine (EVM) results. The election was held in two phases on 23 and 29 April across 294 seats, with polling in one constituency later cancelled due to irregularities, leaving 293 seats for counting.
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West Bengal: Progressive Counting Trends
Early trends showed a close contest, with BJP and TMC nearly level at 40 and 39 seats respectively. As counting progressed, multiple updates indicated shifts in lead positions at different stages of the day.
West Bengal seat trends during counting
| Time (IST) / Stage | BJP Leads | TMC Leads | Congress / Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early counting (08:00 start) | 40 | 39 | — |
| Subsequent update | 158 | 119 | Congress 1 |
| Later update | 168 | 114 | — |
| Further update | 172 | 112 | — |
| Mid-count update | 182 | 109 | — |
| Around noon trend | 195 | 95 | — |
In addition to overall seat trends, constituency-level updates from Bhabanipur, a high-profile seat in Kolkata, showed changes during counting. TMC leader Mamata Banerjee was reported to have trailed initially against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, before later moving into a significant lead. At one stage, she was reported with 25,942 votes against 9,236 votes, a margin of 16,706 votes.
Government formation threshold
West Bengal’s Legislative Assembly has 293 seats under counting, with 148 required for a majority. Based on evolving trends, both parties remained engaged in a closely watched contest as counting progressed.
Statements and political reactions
West Bengal BJP president Shamik Bhattacharya stated that BJP workers’ expectations were “becoming reality” and expressed confidence in the party forming government in the state. Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari also claimed that the BJP would secure power in West Bengal.
Trends in other states and union territories
Alongside West Bengal, counting trends from several other states were also reported:
Tamil Nadu
- DMK: 66 seats (later update also showed 32 seats in another phase)
- TVK (Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam): 61–155 seats (varying updates)
- NDA: 38–57 seats
Kerala
- UDF: 59–76 seats
- LDF: 42–47 seats
- NDA: 4–6 seats
Assam
- NDA: 50–83 seats (different stages)
- Congress alliance: 29–35 seats
Puducherry
- NDA: 5–15 seats
- DMK–Congress alliance: 3 seats
Counting process
Election officials confirmed that counting was being conducted simultaneously across all centres, with EVM and postal ballot results processed in phases. Authorities indicated that clearer outcomes were expected as counting advanced further into the day, though some constituencies could require extended time for finalisation.
The evolving results reflect a dynamic counting process, with multiple updates recorded at different stages rather than a finalised outcome.