Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 4 : As results of counting of votes by the Election Commission trickled in West Bengal, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress candidate from Bhabanipur, Mamata Banerjee, visited the Sakhawat Memorial counting hall in Kolkata. She claimed that counting had been halted at several places and accused the Election Commission of India and central forces of acting unfairly.
BJP candidates were declared winners in four constituencies -Kalipong, Monteswar, Bhatar and Asansol (Dakshin) and was projected as leading in 195 seats in the West Bengal assembly elections. Mamata Banerjee is continuing to maintain a strong lead in the Bhabanipur assembly seat over BJP's Suvendu Adhikari after the completion of 12 rounds of counting
As the BJP crossed the halfway mark in the 294-member assembly as per early leads, the Chief Minister, in a self-made video, urged counting agents of her party not to leave counting venues.
"Do not lose hearts, we will win after sundown," she said.
"We are ahead by more than 100 seats, which is not being reported. Everything is being reported wrong. The Election Commission is working entirely as per its own will, and central forces are also with them. The police are also working with the central forces," Mamata Banerjee alleged.
She also alleged that counting has been halted at many places as a tactic to benefit the BJP.
"Counting agents and candidates should not leave the counting centre. This is the BJP's plan, I have been saying this since yesterday that they will be shown ahead first. They have stopped counting at many places. Such machines have been found in Kalyani, where there is no match; atrocities are being committed against TMC from all sides through central forces," she said.
However, if the current counting trends in West Bengal persist, the Bharatiya Janata Party is set to comfortably cross the halfway mark of 147 seats and emerge as the single largest party in West Bengal. This will increase the states governed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to 21.
West Bengal recorded the highest-ever voter turnout since independence, with an impressive 91.66% polling in Phase-II of the Assembly elections. In the phase-I poll, participation was 93.19%, taking the combined poll percentage to 92.47%.
In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election, the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee secured a decisive mandate, winning 213 out of 294 seats with a vote share of around 48 per cent, while the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the principal opposition with 77 seats and roughly 38 per cent votes, marking a sharp rise from its previous tally. The Left-Congress alliance failed to win any seats.
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