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Ahead of the vote counting on Monday, Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate from Jadavpur constituency Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya remained hopeful that the Left Front would perform well in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
Speaking with ANI, Bhattacharya pushed for change, signalling displeasure among people from the Trinamool Congress government. "It is the result day by day. I am hopeful of the Left having performed well this time...There should be a change. Common people are upset with the Govt. Let's see what the results would be," he said. Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya is up against TMC's incumbent MLA Debabrata Majumder and BJP's Sarbari Mukherjee in the Jadavpur constituency. The counting of votes in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Keralam, and the Union Territory of Puducherry will begin at 8:00 am today. The process will commence with the counting of postal ballots at 8:00 am, followed by EVM counting from 8:30 am. Round-wise results will be updated in real time on the ECINET platform and the official Election Commission portal. In West Bengal, arguably the most fiercely contested battleground, the atmosphere remained charged till the final hours. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari struck a spiritual note ahead of counting, saying, "I offered prayers at the Lakshmi Narayan Temple. God is with us. A government that protects the interests of Sanatan Dharma is coming." The BJP has projected confidence in unseating the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), with several leaders claiming that a wave of change is imminent. On the other side, the TMC has doubled down on its assertion that Mamata Banerjee is headed for a comfortable return. Party leader Kunal Ghosh claimed, "Mamata Banerjee is coming back with more than 200 seats," while also raising concerns about arrangements for counting agents, alleging lack of basic facilities such as food and water. The party also raised alarms over security lapses, with Chief Minsiter Mamata Banerjee calling upon party workers to remain vigilant, alleging incidents of power outages and suspicious activity near strong rooms in West Bengal. Adding to the tension, the Election Commission of India ordered repolling in all 285 booths of the Falta constituency, citing "severe electoral offences and subversion of the democratic process," triggering sharp political reactions. Reacting to the EC's announcement of repolling, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said, "Corrupt practices were adopted in Falta. It shows that the Election Commission officers were also involved...If Election Commission officers get involved too, what can we say?" Exit polls for West Bengal have projected a tight contest on the 294 seats between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). While some projections, including Chanakya Strategies and Matrize, have given an edge to the BJP, others suggest a closer fight with TMC retaining a significant share of seats. Smaller parties are also expected to play a limited role in the outcome. (ANI)
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