In the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, BJP could not make major inroads in Bengal. This time its different as BJP Chief Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi visited Bengal more than their home state Gujarat.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remains defiant that Trinamool Congress will hold West Bengal.
In Hooghly, BJP candidate, actress-turned-politician Locket Chatterjee is leading.
Trinamool Candidate Dr. Ratna De is trailing by 4489 votes
According to early trends, Subrata Mukherjee of the Trinamool Congress is trailing from Bankura
Sajda Ahmed and Ratna De take the lead in Uluberia and Hooghly according to early trends posted by the Election Commission of India.
One hour into the counting, the initial leads have come in.
Leads for several constituencies have come in, counting of postal ballots are almost. EVMs have been opened across several constituencies as counting begins and the leads pour in.
It’s a close contest. TMC leads in seven constituencies in West Bengal
Sougata Ray, Mahua Moitra, actress-turned-politician Satabdi Roy (Banerjee), Dibyendu Adhikari and Asit Kumar Mal lead from their respective constituencies. BJP inches towards 6 seats as Tapan Kumar Ray and Arjun Singh take the lead in Barrackpore and Arambagh… Abhijit Mukherjee of the Congress is leading from Jangipur
Congress candidate from Malda Dakshin Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury is leading
Trinamool Candidate Apurba Sarkar leads from Baharampur
BJP leads in four constituencies in Bengal
BJP is leading in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Alipurduar. TMC is leading in Maldah North with actress Mausam Noor of TMC.
Counting begins across 42 constituencies in Bengal
BJP and TMC go head to head in heated electoral battle . Left and Congress look forward to boost their chances. Stay tuned for who’s leading and trailing in West Bengal and all over the country.
Amid chaos regarding EVM tampering, TMC workers are guarding EVM strongrooms.
Trinamool Congress leadership has asked its workers in West Bengal to guard strongrooms in their respective areas, fearing that the BJP might try to smuggle out EVMs.
BJP had won 2 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 elections
BJP Chief Amit Shah has set a goal of winning 22 of those 42 seats this Lok Sabha elections. Union Minister Smriti Irani also echoed similar sentiments in a tweet yesterday ahead of the counting of polls
We are conscious of the sacrifices made by the families of karyakartas especially in Kerala and West Bengal. No words will ever be enough to pay homage to those who died. However , the best tribute would be that every day we contribute constructively to Nation building.
— Chowkidar Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani)May 22, 2019
EC deploys Central Forces for counting of votes
The EC will deploy 200 coys of Central Armed Police Forces(CAPF) in West Bengal in addition to the 82 companies present to ensure security at the counting centres and check any post-poll violence when the exercise is taken up.
Source: HindustanTimes