The BJP is set to deliver a historic victory in West Bengal, holding a strong lead in 198 seats and crossing the two-thirds majority of 148 in the state legislative assembly.
Reacting to the historic decision, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said the people of Bengal have rejected the Trinamool Congress government.
Bhattacharya also asked his party supporters to maintain peace and harmony in the state.
Mamata, in a video message earlier in the day, instructed her party’s polling agents not to leave the counting centres.
“Please wait till the 14th round of counting process. Don’t get tensed and panic. We will fight like a puppy,” she said at a time when the BJP was leading in more than 190 seats in the state.
Overwhelming victory
The BJP’s phenomenal runs in the north and south districts of Bengal showed that an anti-incumbency wave has swept the region with the saffron party making inroads in the border, tribal and industrial belts, while the TMC holds ground in parts of Kolkata and some rural strongholds.
According to ECI sources, the BJP has increased its vote share to 45 percent this time from the 38 percent it got in the 2021 elections.
The Trinamool Congress suffered a decline in its vote bank by more than seven percent. She got 41 percent this time against 48 percent she had in the last parliamentary elections in the state.
The Bhabanipur assembly seat, where Mamata faced BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, saw a tight contest in the morning, while the TMC supremo established a strong lead later.
In Nandigram, TV channels showed Adhikar ahead by over 3,100 votes against TMC’s Pabitra Kar after the first round, though the ECI was yet to upload official figures.
Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir was leading in Nowda and Rejinagar seats in Murshidabad district.
The Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), an ally of the TMC in the Darjeeling hills, was leading in Kalimpong, underscoring the regional dynamics in the hills where alliances often play a crucial role.
CPM was ruling in Domkal seat in Murshidabad district.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up at the Nabanna state secretariat and other government offices with heavy deployment of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and state police personnel from Monday afternoon.
