Suvendu Adhikari of the Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in Bhabanipur (159) with 6,380 votes, ahead of Mamata Banerjee of the All India Trinamool Congress, who has secured 4,822 votes, trailing by 1,558 after 2 of 20 rounds. Shrijeeb Biswas has 104 votes, Pradip Prasad has 82, while independent candidates Subrata Bose and Anumita Shaw have 9 and 8 votes respectively.
Early trends in the West Bengal Assembly elections show the Bharatiya Janata Party leading in 95 seats, while the All India Trinamool Congress is ahead in 34, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee trailing in the high-profile Bhabanipur constituency.
Vijay Ojha said people across India are closely watching the West Bengal results, expressing confidence in public support and praising voters for ensuring peaceful polling, saying, "...The entire world, all of India, and indeed all of Bengal, is glued to their television screens, watching with bated breath... As for the margin, well, I am hardly an astrologer. However, one thing is certain: we have received the blessings of the public..."
Samik Bhattacharya said West Bengal must move beyond its current electoral culture, arguing that the state can follow the shift seen in other regions. "No Bengali has seen such elections since independence. So, today we've reached the final moment. Bengal has to break free from this electoral culture. If people in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have broken free from the previous election pattern, why can't we?..." he said.
He further added, "The whole of India is becoming 'Modimay'. The Prime Minister has changed the definition of Indian politics. Today's religion is democracy, and today's politics is development. We are moving forward with this mantra..."
Ruden Sada Lepcha of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha is leading from Kalimpong (22) with 6,384 votes, ahead by a margin of 457 votes as per early trends (1/12 rounds completed).
Purnima Chakraborty expressed confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party will form the government in West Bengal, crediting public support and leadership of PM Narendra Modi, while welcoming the Election Commission’s decision to order repolling in Falta and alleging attempts at “vote theft” by the All India Trinamool Congress.
A verbal altercation broke out between counting agents of the All India Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party outside the counting centre at Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls' High School in Bhowanipore, as counting for 293 Assembly constituencies across the state is set to begin at 8 am.