Live: BJP's Suvendu Adhikari ahead by 6 votes in Nandigram seat, all eyes on 17th round of counting

As per the latest trends, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's party TMC has taken a massive lead and the ruling party is way ahead of the BJP in Bengal. The Trinamool Congress has crossed the 200-mark in the 294-seat assembly and looks set to a third straight term in West Bengal. The ruling TMC is currently leading in 205 seats, while the BJP is leading in 85 seats at 2 PM.

Kolkata: After a keenly contested eight-phased Assembly election 2021 in West Bengal and three-phased polls in Assam, the counting of votes is currently underway in the two states under the watchful eyes of the Election Commission since 8 AM on Sunday (May 2, 2021). As per the latest trends, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's party TMC has taken a massive lead and the ruling party is way ahead of the BJP in Bengal. The Trinamool Congress has crossed the 200-mark in the 294-seat assembly and looks set to a third straight term in West Bengal. The ruling TMC is currently leading in 205 seats, while the BJP is leading in 85 seats at 2 PM.

Adding a new twist to the West Bengal assembly election 2021, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who was earlier trailing in the prestigious Nandigram seat was now leading by over 2700 votes against her BJP rival Suvendu Adhikari after several rounds of the counting of votes.

Meanwhile, the BJP has maintained a comfortable lead over Congress in Assam and touched the majority mark, as per the trends, The saffron party is leading on 69 seats, while Congress on 39 seats in Assam, while others one 1 seat. The much-awaited results are being updated every minute on the Election Commission of India's website - https://results.eci.gov.in. 

WATCH: Combined assembly election results 2021 

Modi 'magic' Vs Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal 

 

While Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) is seeking to seize power for the third consecutive term, the BJP is making claims of winning 200 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly. 

The power-packed campaigns by the main contenders - the Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), involved rallies with large participations and mega roadshows. The third front i.e. the coalition of the Congress, Left Front and Indian Secular Force seemed to be on the back foot when it came to campaigning.

The ambitious BJP did intense campaigning with the goal to topple the incumbent TMC government in the state. To continue its stride in Bengal especially after an overwhelming result in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the state, the party brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party president JP Nadda and many others for campaigning. ‘Tolabaazi’’ (extortion), `cut money`, syndicate raj and appeasement politics were a few topics over which the BJP targeted the ruling TMC.

Mamata chose Nandigram over her home turf Bhabanipur seat this time to test her fate in the 2021 elections. Now not just Bengal, but the country`s eyes were on Nandigram that witnessed the most high-profile contest on April 1 with the chief minister taking on her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the BJP in December last year.

Several exit poll surveys gave an edge to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). In West Bengal, all exit polls predicted that the BJP would make major inroads and a few also said that the party would emerge victoriously. 

Assam

 

In Assam, the ruling BJP is facing a challenge from 'Mahajoth' or 'Grand Alliance' comprising the Congress, AIUDF, Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF), CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM). The BJP has an alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) and the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP).

The saffron party had scripted history by winning the traditionally Congress-dominated state in 2016, after remaining on the fringes. In the northeastern state of Assam, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) looks ahead in the exit polls and the lotus is likely to bloom for the second consecutive time. All major pollsters have predicted a majority for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 126-member Assembly. 

As per the Zee News Maha Exit Poll, the BJP+ will take 73 seats, whereas Congress+ will win on 51 assembly constituencies. Others will bag two seats.