West Bengal election results 2019: BJP supporters outside the party’s headquarters in Kolkata on Thursday. (Express photo/Shashi Ghosh)
West Bengal Election Results 2019 Highlights: Successfully making inroads in West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s bastion, the BJP on Thursday put up a spectacular show by increasing its tally to 18 seats, according to figures released by the Election Commission at 8 pm. The ruling Trinamool Congress is leading in 21 seats. Among the key candidates, Union Minister Babul Supriyo is leading from the Asansol seat where he has been pitted against actor and TMC candidate Moon Moon Sen. In Diamond Harbour seat, Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, is ahead of others by over three lakh votes.
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Exit polls had predicted a sharp decline in the fortunes of the ruling TMC and suggested a surge in the BJP’s vote share in the eastern state. Accounting for 42 seats and amid apprehensions of losses in the Hindi-speaking heartland, Bengal is one of the states where the BJP has kept its focus for all of the past five years. At present, the party has only two MPs in the state.
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In 2014, the TMC’s tally rose to 34 from 19 in 2009 while the Congress managed to win four. Both the Left Front and the BJP managed to secure only two seats, respectively. In order to establish itself as a credible alternative, the saffron party is trying hard to make forays into the TMC stronghold, particularly in the south.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. (File)
What do you think led to BJP’s big gains?
This didn’t happen overnight, we have been working for the last three years to strengthen our organisation at the ground level. Also an “anti-TMC” factor has worked in our favour.
Did polarisation of votes or Hindutva ideology work?
We were fighting an ideological battle in Bengal. TMC’s policy of Muslim appeasement was known to everyone. People of Bengal have been feeling insecure in such an environment.
Will this victory mean more political violence?
Many of our karyakartas have lost their lives and homes because of violence triggered by the TMC, we are prepared for the future too.
Is BJP eyeing TMC MLAs?
It is other way round. We are not eyeing them, they are in touch with BJP.
How are you feeling about your win?
I was always confident and had been telling people that I will win with a good margin.
With the BJP breaching West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress has emerged substantially scathed in this semi-final ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls. For the BJP, it was as much an ideological victory as an electoral victory, powered by meticulous planning on the ground. The growth of the party’s organisational strength in a state where it had little base has been meteoric. While it successfully pushed its Hindutva narrative and polarised voters, it consistently fanned the angst around Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s “appeasement” politics. The Left and the Congress, the other two players in the state, have been pushed to the margins. While the Left has been wiped out from what was once its citadel, the Congress managed to win just one seat.
All but one Left Front candidates are facing the ignominy of losing their security deposit in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, a state which it had ruled continuously for 34 years till 2011. Except CPI(M)'s Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya who got 21.04 per cent of the votes polled in Jadavpur, no other Left Front candidate is likely to be able to achieve the required 16.6 per cent of the votes to retain their deposit money of Rs 25,000 each, according to the latest data from the Election Commission In India, candidates for election to the Lok Sabha pay a security deposit of Rs 25,000. For Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates, the amounts are Rs 12,500 and Rs 5,000 respectively. Any candidate who fails to secure more than one-sixth (16.6 per cent) of the total valid votes cast would have to forfeit his or her deposit. Candidates of the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which ruled the state for 34 years from 1977 to 2011, have been decimated to third and fourth spots in the seats it contested. (PTI)
BJP's Neeraj Tamang Zimba won the Darjeeling assembly bypolls, defeating Independent candidate Binoy Tamang by a margin of 46,538 votes. Zimba polled 88,161 votes, while Tamang got 41623 votes. Polling was held in Darjeeling on April 18. In Kandi assembly bypolls, Congress's Shafiul Alam Khan defeated TMC's Goutam Roy by 21,120 votes. Khan got 79,698 votes, while Roy managed 58,578. (PTI)
Bollywood singer-turned-politician Babul Supriyo proved his mettle by winning the Lok Sabha poll from Asansol in West Bengal for the second time in 2019. The BJP leader defeated Moon Moon Sen (All India Trinamool Congress) by about 1.97 lakh votes.
BJP's Pawan Kumar Singh defeated former West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra by a margin of 23,104 votes in by-elections to Bhatpara assembly seat, the Election Commission said Thursday.
Singh polled 58,119 votes, while Mitra got 35,015 votes in the contest where polling was conducted amid incidents of violence. In Nowda assembly seat, TMC candidate Sahina Mamtaz Begum defeated Congress' Sunil Kumar Mondal by a margin of 33,822 votes.
TMC bags Ghatal, Dum Dum, Kolkata South, Bishnupur and Jangipur constituency. BJP's Locket Chatterjee wins from Hooghly seat.
Switching of parties by political leaders ahead of the parliamentary polls appears not to have gone down well with the masses in West Bengal as nearly 10 out of 18 turncoats are staring at their defeat as counting draws to a close.
In Alipurduar seat in north Bengal, Dasarth Tirkey the sitting TMC MP from Alipurduar, who was once a sitting RSP MLA, is staring at his defeat.
Manas Bhunia, Apurba Sarkar, Kanialal Agarwal, all former Congress MLAs, who contested from Midnapore, Baharampur and Raiganj respectively on TMC tickets are trailing.
Paresh Adhikary and Mafuja Khatun, former MLAs of Forward Bloc and CPI(M) who contested on TMC and BJP tickets respectively, are trailing in Coochbehar and Jangipur Lok Sabha seats. On the other hand, former TMC MP Soumitra Khan who is contesting from Bishnupur on a BJP ticket is leading against his nearest TMC rival by a huge margin Former Congress MLA Asit Mal who had contested the Lok Sabha polls on a TMC ticket from Bolpur Lok Sabha seat is also way ahead of his rivals. (PTI)
Streets in the metropolis emptied by early Thursday evening amid fear of clashes election trends poured in with the ruling Trinamool Congres and the surging BJP locked in a neck and neck battle for the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.
People reached to the safety of their homes before the formal declaration of results, fearing violent fallout of the poll outcome amid a bitter election battle between the two parties, leaders of which were involved in a no-holds barred attack in a grueling two-month long campaign. "In a state where political clashes are the norm during election season, we thought it is better to go back home early to avoid being caught up in some untoward incident," Moloy Banik, an employee of a private firm at Dalhousie in the heart of the city, said. (PTI)
According to ABP Ananda, clashes have broken out between TMC and BJP workers in Balurghat and Uttar Dinajpur.
Refusing to reply to queries on the reason behind the Left Front's route in West Bengal, Yechury said no conclusive explanation could be given before analysing the results thoroughly. The trends show that in West Bengal, a state ruled by the CPI(M)-led Left Front for 34 uninterrupted years, the party may draw a blank in its worst performance ever.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury took the responsibility today for his party's dismal performance in the Lok Sabha polls, saying as the chief of the party, he was the "first" person who was accountable for its poor show. Speaking at a press conference here after the trends showed that the Left Front was virtually routed in its bastions of Kerala and West Bengal, Yechury said it was time for the entire opposition to introspect. "The people of the country have given a decisive verdict in BJP's favour in this highly-polarised election and it is now time for us to introspect and analyse what went wrong. We will hold a politburo meeting on May 26-27 and a central committee meeting from from June 7-9."
In Ghatal district, TMC candidate Dev was declared the winner after he won by over one lakh votes. He was pitted against former IPS officer and former aide of Mamata Banerjee, Bharati Ghosh, who later deflected to the BJP.
Till 7 pm, the TMC was leading in 21 seats following by the BJP who was leading in 18 seats. The Congress, meanwhile, increased its tally to two.
In Behrampore, Congress candidate Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury continues to remain ahead of the TMC and BJP.
In Kolkata Uttar and Dakshin, TMC continues to lead by over one lakh votes.
Speaking to The Indian Express, CPI(M) candidate from Dum Dum, Nepaldeb Bhattacharya said, "The CPI(M)'s poor show is because of the polarisation of votes. The mandate goes to the BJP as the people are looking for an alternative as they are frustrated with the syndicate raj and everyday bloodshed." He added, "The BJPs rise in power in Bengal will definitely be a concern for Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Lok Sabha election."
TMC continues to be ahead of BJP in Tamluk and Uluberia Lok Sabha seats.
In Asansol, BJP's Babul Supriyo continues to take the lead by nearly two lakh votes.
BJP workers celebrate in Kolkata on Thursday. (Express photo/Shashi Ghosh)
The saffron party was giving the TMC a run for its money even in terms of vote share having polled 39.81 per cent of votes counted so far. The TMC has clinched 43.8 per cent. The four-party Left Front, once a formidable force in the state, has garnered a measly 7.8 per cent of votes so far, and its candidates are leading in none of the state's 42 Lok Sabha seats.
The scene was grimmer at the E M Bypass office, as except guards and few policemen no TMC supporter or party leader could be seen. "We didn't expect such a result in Bengal. Our party supremo Mamata Banerjee had given a call for winning 42 seats, we had hoped that we would improve our tally. But the results are completely unexpected. It seems we failed to gauge the strong undercurrent in Bengal," said a TMC leader, who did not wish to be named. The party is witnessing a slide in elections for the first time since 2009, when it surged ahead of the Left with 19 seats.
As trends showed a saffron surge in Bengal, the residence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in south Kolkata's Kalighat wore a deserted look with just a handful of TMC supporters gathered outside. The scene was no different at the party's state headquarters off EM Bypass in eastern part of the city. Even though police had cordoned off the entire area outside Banerjee's house apprehending turnout of supporters, only a few were seen silently standing with newsmen outnumbering them.
BJP workers celebrate on Howrah Bridge.
In Diamond Harbour, Mamata Banerjee's nephew continues to take the lead and is ahead of BJP's Nilanjan Roy by over three lakh votes.
In Cooch Behar, BJP candidate Nisith Pramanik is ahead of TMC candidate Adhikary Paresh Chandra by over 54,000 votes.
Raiganj symbolises the Left’s fight for existence in the state. At present, BJP candidate Debasree Chaudhuri is leading by over 62,000 votes.
Following is the party position in West Bengal at 4.15 pm:
TMC: 25
BJP: 16
Congress: 1
The TMC is leading in the following constituencies: Arambagh, Barasat, Burdwan (Purba), Barrackpore, Basirhat, Birbhum, Bolpur, Burdwan-Durgapur, Diamond Harbour, Dum Dum, Ghatal, Howrah, Jadavpur, Jangipur, Joynagar, Kanthi, Kolkata Uttar and Dakshin, Krishnanagar, Malda Uttar, Mathurapur, Murshidabad, Srerampur, Tamluk and Uluberia.
Actor and TMC candidate Dev continues to be ahead of former IPS officer and once a Mamata aide Bharati Ghosh in Ghatal constituency.
Following is the party position in West Bengal at 4.15 pm:
TMC: 23
BJP: 18
Congress: 1
Two days before the results of the Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced stipends to purohits in crematoriums. Going by the Lok Sabha election trends in the state — where the BJP is leading in 17 of the 42 seats, up from the two it won in 2014 – the stipend move, Banerjee’s attempt to counter the spread of Hindutva in her state, may have come too late for Trinamool Congress. With Banerjee’s party only leading in 25 seats (down from the 34 the party won in 2014), her “biyallishe biyallish (42 of 42)” war cry now sounds almost as empty as Congress’s promise of NYAY. So what explains the BJP’s rise in West Bengal, a state which was once the citadel of the Left and where the Trinamool Congress scripted a new politics in 2011 with her “ma, mati, manush” call? Click here to know more.
As per latest figures, the BJP is leading in 20 seats while the TMC is leading in 21 seats.
In North and South Kolkata, Jadavpur and Diamond Harbour, the TMC continues to remain ahead of the BJP.
In Behrampore, Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury continues to take the lead by over 75,000 votes.
In Raiganj, BJP candidate Debasree Chaudhuri is leading with a margin of 28,867 votes. The seat is currently held by CPI(M) leader Mohammad Salim.
Supporters of TMC candidate from Kolkata South Mala Roy celebrates on Thursday. Roy is ahead of the BJP by more than one-and-a-half lakh votes. (Express photo/Partha Paul)
Speaking to reporters, Moon Moon Sen, who is trailing BJP's Babul Supriyo said, "I am feeling sad over the results".
The BJP is currently leading in the following constituencies: Alipurduar, Asansol, Balurghat, Bangaon, Bankura, Barrackpore, Bishnupur, Burdwan-Durgapur, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Hooghly, Jalpaiguri, Jhargram, Malda Dakshin, Malda Uttar, Medinipur, Purulia, Raiganj and Ranaghat.
TMC continues to take the lead in Tamluk and Uluberia seats by margins of 65,910 and 1,54,273 votes, respectively.
Meanwhile, Left candidates are yet to make any mark.
BJP state president and the party's candidate from Medinipur Lok Sabha seat, Dilip Ghosh said he is confident that the party will cross the mark of 23 seats in Bengal out of the 42 seats.
With trends favouring BJP at the Centre and the party making deep inroads in West Bengal, the saffron party workers and supporters burst into celebrations outside its headquarters in Kolkata and elsewhere. BJP workers distributed sweets, shouted slogans "phir ek bar Modi sarkar" and danced to the beat of drums in various parts of the state. TMC headquarters at the E M Bypass, on the other hand, wore a deserted look as trends showed that TMC is ahead only in 25 seats.
Taking to Twitter, Mamata Banerjee said, "Congratulations to the winners. But all losers are not losers. We have to do a complete review and then we will share our views with you all. Let the counting process be completed fully and the VVPATs matched."
Following is the party position in West Bengal at 12.30 pm:
TMC: 22
BJP: 19
Congress: 1
Tamluk: TMC
Uluberia: TMC
Krishnanagar: TMC
Malda Dakshin: BJP
Malda Uttar: BJP
Mathurapur: TMC
Medinipur: TMC
Murshidabad: TMC
Purulia: BJP
Raiganj: BJP
Ranaghat: BJP
Srerampur: TMC
Hooghly: BJP
Howrah: TMC
Jadavpur: TMC
Jalpaiguri: BJP
Jangipur: TMC
Jhargram: BJP
Joynagar: TMC
Kanthi: TMC
Kolkata Dakshin: TMC
Kolkata Uttar: TMC
Basirhat: TMC
Birbhum: TMC
Bishnupur: BJP
Bolpur: TMC
Burdwan-Durgapur: BJP
Cooch Behar: BJP
Darjeeling: BJP
Diamond Harbour: TMC
Dum Dum: TMC
Ghatal: TMC
Alipurduar: BJP
Arambagh: TMC
Asansol: BJP
Behrampore: Congress
Balurghat: TMC
Bangaon: BJP
Bankura: BJP
Barasat: BJP
Burdwan Purba: TMC
Barrackpore: BJP
As per latest figures from the ECI, Mimi Chakraborty is leading by 1,08,803 votes in Jadavpur constituency.
Following is the party position in West Bengal at 12.30 pm:
TMC: 25
BJP: 16
Congress: 1
Taking to Twitter, BJP MP Roopa Ganguly said, "Aur ek baar Modi sarkar."
Actor-turned-politician and BJP candidate from Hooghly Locket Chatterjee is leading with 55,291 votes. She has been pitted against TMC's Dr Ratna De Nag.
Celebrations are underway at the BJP headquarters in Kolkata.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is the Congress' only candidate in the state who is leading with 36742 votes in Berhampore.
In Asansol, singer-turned-politician Babul Supriyo continues to be ahead of his TMC counterpart Moon Mon Sen by 63,429 votes.
Both in Kolkata North and South, the TMC is leading by a margin of 27,403 votes and 2,22,389 votes respectively.
Following is the party position in West Bengal at 11.30 am:
TMC: 25
BJP: 16
Congress: 1
West Bengal Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee is trailing by 23,562 votes to Subhas Sarkar of BJP in Bankura. In Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat, AITC candidate Dinesh Trivedi is leading by 441 votes against Arjun Singh of BJP. Mahua Moitra of the AITC is leading by 31,681 votes against Kalyan Chaubey of the BJP in Krishnagar constituency.