Counting of votes is underway for 293 seats in West Bengal in a decisive verdict that will determine if the Trinamool Congress (TMC) retains control of the state or if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) achieves a historic victory and comes to power for the first time.
In the meantime, both the CPI(M) and the Congress are closely watching the results, eager to regain a presence on the state's political landscape after five years, following their defeat in the 2021 elections.
As per the latest trends, BJP's Agnimitra Paul, the incumbent MLA, is leading in Asansol Dakshin constituency with 33,054 votes, and the All India Trinamool Congress candidate Tapas Banerjee is trailing with 17,635 votes. This was the vote count after four rounds of counting. Asansol Dakshin saw fierce campaigning by both factions.
Shilpi Chakraborty is the CPI(M)'s candidate, whereas Souvik Mukherjee is the Congress contender. There are total of eight candidates contesting from the Asansol Dakshin constituency.
BJP crosses majority mark
According to the latest figures from NDTV, the BJP+ has exceeded the threshold of 148 required for a majority in West Bengal, currently holding sway over 170 seats, which marks an incredible increase of 95 seats compared to the 2021 figures.
On the other hand, the TMC+ has witnessed a marked downturn, falling to 119 seats, reflecting a decrease of 91 seats from its earlier count.
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Elections for the West Bengal Assembly took place in two phases, on April 23 and April 29.
In the West Bengal Assembly elections 2021, Agnimitra Paul scored a victory over the TMC's Saayoni Ghosh by a margin of 4,487 votes, as per India TV.
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