Kolkata

Indicating a major political shift in West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party surged past the majority mark on Monday, leading in 185 Assembly seats as against 91 for the ruling Trinamool Congress, according to Election Commission trends.

With the halfway mark of 148 seats in the 294-member House already crossed in early counting, the BJP appeared set for a strong breakthrough, while the TMC worked to narrow the gap in what has emerged as a closely watched electoral contest.

Officials said the early trends pointed to a split mandate, with the BJP gaining ground in border areas, tribal belts and industrial regions, while the TMC held leads in parts of Kolkata and selected rural pockets.

Counting for 293 constituencies began at 8 am with postal ballots, followed by EVM counting. The Election Commission has countermanded polling in the Falta constituency in South 24 Parganas, citing serious electoral irregularities.

The election is widely seen as a crucial test for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term against an aggressive BJP campaign.

Mamata holds Bhabanipur; Adhikari leads in Nandigram

Despite the statewide trend, Banerjee was ahead in her Bhabanipur seat by 16,706 votes over BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari after five rounds of counting, giving the TMC some relief in a prestige constituency.

The Bhabanipur seat saw fluctuating leads through the day, with Banerjee starting ahead, briefly trailing, and then regaining control in subsequent rounds.

In Nandigram, however, Adhikari maintained a lead of over 3,135 votes against TMC candidate Pabitra Kar after two rounds.

Signs of wider political shift

Beyond the headline figures, the trends suggested a deeper political realignment in the state. The BJP was leading in more than 174 seats, while the TMC lagged behind, raising questions over the durability of its organisational strength and electoral dominance since 2011.

Preliminary vote share estimates showed the BJP at around 44.8%, up from 2021, while the TMC stood at about 41.7%, indicating a decline in its support base.

Analysts noted significant movement in constituencies where previous victory margins were narrow or vulnerable, suggesting that several long-held TMC seats were under threat.

Key constituency trends

Several senior TMC leaders were trailing in early rounds. In Dinhata, Minister Udayan Guha was behind BJP’s Ajay Ray by 6,259 votes after four rounds. In Sabang, TMC leader Manas Ranjan Bhunia trailed BJP’s Amal Kumar Panda by 693 votes.

In Kolkata, BJP’s Purnima Chakraborty was ahead of Minister Shashi Panja by 1,430 votes, while in Asansol Dakshin, BJP’s Agnimitra Paul led by 18,812 votes.

West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee was also trailing in Baruipur Paschim by 1,448 votes.

The BJP was leading in several constituencies across Junglemahal, north Bengal and industrial belts, including Dinhata, Bankura, Durgapur Purba and Nayagram.

The TMC, however, held leads in pockets such as Bhabanipur, Ballygunge, Singur, Raina and other rural and urban constituencies.

Left parties and smaller groups also showed limited presence, with CPI(M) ahead in Domkal and ISF leading in Minakhan.

RAED MORE: Will BJP make inroads in West Bengal, Kerala and return in Assam?

Officials stressed that these were early trends and could change as counting progressed through later rounds.