What Exit Polls show
One point that all these exit polls agree upon is the fact that BJP can win well over 100 seats, which will be a massive jump from the three seats it bagged in the Assembly polls in 2016. Consequently, the saffron party’s vote share may also increase from 10% last time to around 43% as predicted by the India Today-MyAxis poll or just over 39% as predicted by ABP-CVoter. If the BJP vote share were to see that meteoric jump, it would mean that the saffron party has to win in most Assembly seats under those Lok Sabha constituencies where it had won in 2019. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when it won 18 seats, the BJP led in 33 of the total 68 SC-reserved Assembly segments in the state. Out of these 33 seats, 26 are Matua-dominated. The Lok Sabha results show there has been a swing in the SC vote towards BJP.
Bengal imposes new curbs to tackle Covid surge
A day after announcing a partial lockdown in the state, the West Bengal government on Saturday issued more restrictions to curb the rising number of Covid-19 cases.
In a new order, the state government said on Saturday that not more than 50 people will be allowed to be present at marriage ceremonies and other congregations.
“Marriage gatherings and other familial gatherings will also be seriously restricted and subjected to strict observance of Covid appropriate norms (e.g. strict use of masks, sanitizers, physical distancing, etc). Generally speaking, the number of invitees to marriages and other familial gatherings should be restricted to the minimum possible number, and at no point of time should there be congregations of more than 50 persons in any ceremony,” the order stated.
Despite the BJP pulling out all the big guns and resources to contest the Assembly polls in West Bengal, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah extensively campaigning, the party struggled to cross double digits.
In fact, as per election results and leads till 6 pm, the BJP’s vote share stood at 37.70%, a decline of nearly 3% from its 40.30% votes in 2019. On the other hand, the TMC had increased its vote share to 48.20% from 43.30% in 2019. In other words, a 10% vote gap stood between the two parties.
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In fact, as per the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP led in 121 Assembly seats in the state, a far cry from its 76 till last count. (Read Ravik Bhattacharya and Santanu Chowdhury’s analysis)
In what will be seen as the biggest anti-climax in this round of Assembly polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost in Nandigram to her former protégé-turned-BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari while her party won a landslide victory in the state.
Banerjee can still take over as chief minister but will have to get elected in the next six months to continue in the post.
Article 164(4) of the Constitution states: “A Minister who for any period of six consecutive months is not a member of the Legislature of the State shall at the expiration of that period cease to be a Minister.” (Read Manoj C G's report)
Yet another counting day and yet another demoralising defeat for the Congress. Since 2014, of the 40 Assembly elections held, the party, on its own, could win and form governments in only four states and a Union Territory.
After today’s defeats in Kerala, Assam, Puducherry and the wipeout in West Bengal, Congress leaders across states are admitting, in hushed tones, that the bigger worry is that the party is losing its legitimacy — moral and political — to lead the Opposition at the national level as it is fast ceding space to regional forces in the fight against the BJP.
The defeat, many party leaders said, is set to deepen internal turmoil and give another window for the detractors of senior leader Rahul Gandhi, who had virtually led the party’s campaign in Kerala, from where he is an MP. His sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had campaigned in Kerala and Assam. (Read Manoj C G's report)
For the BJP, May 2 was to be a crowning moment, when they would win West Bengal. An election campaign that lasted for over a month saw the presence of a battery of central ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But on Sunday afternoon, without a wheelchair for the first time in a few weeks, it was Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who spoke to the people of the state as the victor. Read more here to know the factors that led to the result
Industrialists congratulated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday for her party's landslide victory in the West Bengal elections. The industry bodies said they would continue to support Banerjee in running the state.
'This was an unprecedented electoral franchise in the midst of the brutal and tragic second wave of the pandemic. The chamber stands by the new government as a partner in such challenging times knowing that, as always, the people and economy of Bengal will resolutely surge forward,' Bengal Chamber of Commerce president Deb A Mukherjee said.
CII congratulated Banerjee, saying that it would work to make the state one of the premier destinations for industry, investment and livelihood. (PTI)
As per the latest update on the Election Commission website, the Trinamool Congress is set to cross the 200-mark, having won 198 assembly seats and leading in 15 as of 11.45 pm. The BJP, which in the early trends gave a tough fight to the ruling TMC, has won 69 seats and is leading in eight.
According to the Election Commission, BJP's vote share in West Bengal assembly polls has dipped by less than 2 per cent compared to the 2019 general elections while that of TMC has jumped by nearly 5 per cent.
In the latest development, EC’s Returning Officer (RO) has rejected TMC’s request for a recount of all votes cast in the Nandigram seat. The final result will be notified soon.
Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi calls Mamata Banerjee and congratulates her for TMC's victory in the Assembly polls. (ANI)
Trinamool Congress writes to the Chief Electoral Officer seeking "immediate re-counting of votes in Nandigram AC 210 and postal ballots”.
BJP's West Bengal unit chief Dilip Ghosh on Sunday said it seems that people didn't accept those who switched to the BJP from the TMC as many such candidates lost the election.
“We never expected such a result. The feedback and the response which we were getting from people were telling something different. But we accept this result and now will play the role of a constructive opposition,” Ghosh told PTI.
He noted that the BJP has improved its position in terms of seats though its target was to form the government.
On the question of many TMC turncoats losing elections, Ghosh said, “It seems people didn't accept those who switched to the BJP from the TMC.”
Talking about the reasons for the defeat, Ghosh said the BJP lost many seats with very small margins and will delve deeply to figure out the reasons. He said it is not easy to change the perception of the people. (PTI)
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar Sunday appreciated Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee’s "stance" to observe COVID-19 guidelines and peace and called upon the state apparatus to take all steps to ensure peace and order.
In a tweet message, Dhankhar said democracy is all about respecting the mandate of the people. "Violence has no place in democracy. Appreciate stance @MamataOfficial to observe Covid guidelines and peace," he said.
"Call upon state apparatus @HomeBengal @WBPolice @KolkataPolice to take all steps to ensure peace and order," the governor tweeted. (PTI)
Three-member Trinamool Congress delegation is meeting Chief Electoral Officer at EC Office in Kolkata seeking a recount of votes in Nandigram and other issues. (ANI)
As per the Election Commission count, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has defeated Mamata Banerjee by 1,736 votes in Nandigram. However, mandatory VVPAT verification is currently underway and results will be officially announced only after that.
BJP’s Nandigram candidate Suvendu Adhikari told ANI, “My sincere thanks to great people of Nandigram for their love, trust, blessings, support and for choosing me as their representative and MLA from Nandigram. It's my never-ending commitment to be of service to them and working for their welfare. I'm truly grateful.”
The Election Commission is yet to declare the official result for the Nandigram seat. (ANI)
PM Narendra Modi has congratulated Mamata on TMC’s victory and said BJP will keep serving the people of Bengal. “Congratulations to Mamata Didi for @AITCofficial's win in West Bengal. The Centre will continue to extend all possible support to the West Bengal Government to fulfil people’s aspirations and also to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic,” PM Modi tweeted.
He added, “I would like to thank my sisters and brothers of West Bengal who have blessed our party. From a negligible presence earlier, BJP’s presence has significantly increased. BJP will keep serving the people. I applaud each and every Karyakarta for their spirited effort in the polls.”
Speaking about Nandigram where she contested against her protege-turned-BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, Mamata Banerjee told the press earlier, “Don't worry about Nandigram. For struggle, you have to sacrifice something. I struggled for Nandigram because I fought a movement. It’s okay. Let the people give whatever verdict they want, I accept that. I don't mind. We will review the results and go to court if required. I have information that after the declaration of results, there were some manipulations done and I will reveal those."
The official figures for Nandigram are yet to come in, with the last update on the Election Commission website showing that Adhikari is leading by over 10,000 votes.
CM Mamata Banerjee visits Kalighat temple to offer her prayers.
Reacting to the verdict, BJP leader Babul Supriyo posted on Facebook, "Neither will I congratulate Mamata Banerjee for her win in Bengal nor do I wish to say that I 'respect' the people's verdict, because I sincerely think that people of Bengal made a Historic mistake by not giving Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a chance & by electing this Corrupt, Incapable, Dishonest Government & a Cruel Lady back to power !! Yes, as a Law-Abiding citizen, I shall 'obey' the decision taken by the people in a democratic country.. That's it !! Nothing more - Nothing less !!"
Speaking to the press, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, “This is a victory for the people of Bengal. I am proud to say that Bengal saved the country. The Election Commission behaved badly with us — they behaved like BJP’s spokesperson. Two slogans — ‘Khela hobe’ and ‘Joy Bangla’ — worked well for us. Bengal won the match. We will distribute 50,000 footballs among clubs in rural Bengal.”
She added, “Covid is my first priority. We will work on this immediately. We will not do a big oath-taking ceremony. We will weather this storm. We will distribute free vaccines to everyone. We request the Centre to distribute free vaccines to all. If this does not happen, I will sit on a dharna in front of the Gandhi Murti in Kolkata.”
She further said, “We appeal to everyone not to do a victory rally now. But this will be after Covid is defeated. We will do a big victory rally at the Brigade Parade Ground later after the situation is normal.”
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday hailed Mamata Banerjee as the "Tigress of Bengal", as her party TMC looks set to retain power in West Bengal after the bitterly fought Assembly election against the main rival BJP.
It is "not easy to defeat Banerjee", even though the BJP worked hard and put in a lot of investment during the polls in West Bengal, Raut said.
"Congratulations Tigress of Bengal," the Rajya Sabha member tweeted after Chief Minister Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) surged way ahead the BJP in the counting of votes currently underway. (PTI)
Speaking to party workers from her Kalighat residence, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says “this is Bengal’s victory”. She adds, “All Covid protocols must be maintained. I will address the press after 6 pm. No victory procession for now, a decision on that will be taken later.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulates Mamata Banerjee for TMC’s good performance in West Bengal polls.
BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday credited Mamata Banerjee for the TMC's astounding performance in Bengal elections, and said his party would introspect the poll results.
Earlier in the day, he had claimed that initial trends were not the real indicators of the final outcome, and exuded confidence that his party will win the elections.
Vijayvargiya, who is also the BJP's Bengal minder, also said that he has received a call from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who enquired about the party's poor show.
The senior BJP leader stated that he was shocked to see BJP MPs Babul Supriyo and Locket Chatterjee trailing. "The TMC won because of Mamata Banerjee. It seems people have chosen Didi. We will introspect what went wrong, whether it was organisational issues, lack of face, insider-outsider debate. We will see what went wrong," he said. (PTI)
Physical distancing went for a toss as TMC supporters, thumbing their noses at the raging COVID-19 pandemic, hit the streets, beating drums, bursting firecrackers and smearing 'gulal' on one another, prompting the Election Commission to call for action.
The poll panel, which barred celebratory processions and congregations on after counting of votes, asked the state administration to take action against all police stations that failed to stop enthusiasts from taking out rallies.
Several TMC activists had no mask on their faces as they lustily cheered and danced to their party's 'khela hobe' (game to happen) theme song, which played on huge sound systems in the city's nooks and corners.
Taking to Twitter, an election official said, "The ECI has taken serious note of reports coming in of congregation(s) of people to celebrate anticipated victory. It has directed CS of all five states (including Bengal) to file FIR in each such case, suspend SHO of the concerned PS and report action taken immediately of each such incidence." (PTI)
EC official trends show BJP candidate from Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari, leads Mamata Banerjee by 6 votes after the 16th round of counting. (ANI)
Counting has not slowed down, but the server has slowed down due to heavy load, says Election Commission. Counting is continuing in the constituencies without any let-up, it adds. (ANI)
The BJP is currently leading on 83 seats, while the TMC is ahead of other parties on 200 seats. Here's an official breakup:
Prashant Kishor: "I have said this before and I'm saying it again. In this victory, I am quitting and I don't want to do this anymore. I have had enough. It's time for my colleagues in iPac to take over. They are very capable people there... I end up taking credit for a lot of their work."
A BJP office and candidate Mihir Goswami's car has been vandalised in the Cooch Behar district of West Bengal.
The mastermind behind Mamata Banerjee's election campaign, Prashant Kishor, while speaking with NDTV as trends showed that the TMC is well on course to win over 200 votes, said, "We have been confident about doing very well. I've said it in public. Whether 200 or 190... to my mind all what BJP was trying to do was build up a massive propaganda that they are winning in Bengal. BJP is a formidable and they will continue to be. We were confident that Trinamool would win more seats then what many were expecting."
He added, The TMC recognised what they need to do as a course correction and they did it. That's why they won. Where BJP has not accounted the changes the Trinamool brought about post Lok Sabha and therefore they were surprised."
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday congratulated the TMC on its performance in the West Bengal assembly polls, saying people have rejected "disruptive and divisive forces".
The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress looks to retain power in West Bengal with its candidates leading in over 200 of the state's 292 seats that went to polls, according to latest trends. In a tweet, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said, "Congratulations to @MamataOfficial @AITCofficial @derekobrienmp on their splendid victory today. Kudos to the people of West Bengal for rejecting disruptive & divisive forces". (PTI)
You have to be secular in a fight against a communal force. That was done by TMC. We're committed to secularism, committed to development. We're committed to bringing the people together. We can't fight a communal battle against a communal force: Firhad Hakim
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday congratulated Mamata Banerjee and her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which, according to EC website at 2 pm, is leading in more than 200 seats in Bengal, and said "politics of hate stands defeated" in the state.
Taking to Twitter, he said the "conscious public" have given a befitting reply to BJP's 'Didi o Didi' barbs. "Hearty congratulations to the conscious public, combative Mamata Banerjee ji and the dedicated leaders and activists of the TMC, who defeated the BJPs's politics of hate in Bengal! This is a befitting reply to the insulting sarcasm 'Didi O Didi' from the BJP," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister tweeted with hashtag '#Didi_jio_didi'
Trinamool Congress supporters in large numbers gathered outside the BJP office in Kolkata's Hastings area, as TMC leads in 200 plus seats. (ANI)
TMC leader Sujoy Banerjee is leading from Purulia with 11,522 votes as Congress leader Partha Pratim Banerjee trails with 3,282 votes.
Sujan Chakraborty of CPM trailing in Jadavpur as Trinamool Congress's Debabrata Majumdar surges.
Delhi Chief Minister took to Twitter on Sunday to congratulate Mamata Banerjee as trends showed her party winning over 200 seats.
As trends predicted a sweep for Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut took to twitter to congratulate her.
Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee Sunday said trends available for 284 seats indicate that the people of West Bengal have given a befitting reply to the repeated "attacks" on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Mocking the BJP, Chatterjee also said he wants to see the faces of those who had raised the slogan 'Is bar 200 par' (This time, over 200 seats for the saffron party). "People are with Mamata Banerjee and have replied to the derogatory comments and attacks on her and the populace of Bengal," he told reporters here.
"We have always talked about unity and development... and the way the CM had worked for the welfare of people by risking her life amid the pandemic, has reflected in the election results," Chatterjee added. (PTI)
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday congratulated Mamata Banerjee, calling the performance a “stupendous victory”. “Congratulations @MamataOfficial on your stupendous victory! Let us continue our work towards the welfare of people and tackling the Pandemic collectively,” he wrote on Twitter.
Trinamool Congress supporters thronged the streets of Kolkata on Sunday to celebrate Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's victory. However, social distancing norms were thrown out of the window, despite the Election Commission banning all victory processions.
From Raj Chakraborty leading in BJP leader Arjun Singh’s territory, to Sayoni Ghosh soaring past her BJP counterpart in Asansol Dakshin, Mamata Banerjee’s star-studded line-up hasn’t disappointer her so far.
The Election Commission takes serious note of reports coming in of congregation(s) of people to celebrate anticipated victory. EC has directed Chief Secretaries of all 5 states to file FIR in each such case, suspend concerned SHO and report action taken immediately of each such incidence, the poll body stated. (ANI)
Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress is leading in Asansol Uttar, Kulti, Barabani, Jamuria, Asansol Dakshin.
Most CPM's young faces were seen trailing in Bengal: Meenakshi Mukherjee in Nandigram, Aishe Ghosh in Jamuria, Srijan Bhattacharya in Singur and Dipsita Dhar in Bally.
Independent candidate Keshav Raj Sharma is leading in Darjeeling, but BJP candidate Neeraj Tamang Zimba is slowly, but steadily closing in, as per data put out by the Election Commission.
Official trends by the Election Commission showed TMC's Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay was leading his BJP counterpart by over 10,000 votes. He is contesting from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's former constituency.
TMC supporters celebrate at Kalighat, Kolkata as party leads on 202 seats as per official trends. (ANI)
TMC currently leads in 198 seats, while BJP is ahead in 79 seats. Here's tally released by the Election Commission:
TMC MP Derek O’ Brien took a swipe at the BJP on Sunday, sharing a video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah saying that the saffron party will win over 200 seats in West Bengal. As per early trends, the TMC was seen leading in 190 seats in the states whereas the BJP stood at 100.
The ruling TMC looks set to retain power in West Bengal with its candidates leading in 187 of the state's 292 seats that went to poll against BJP's 85, as trends were available for 275 seats. Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee was, however, trailing her former protege-turned-BJP rival Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram by over 8,000 votes.
Belying expectations of a tight contest, the TMC candidates appeared galloping to victory, and, if the current trends hold, the party will easily form its third successive government in the state. Two of the BJP Lok Sabha MPs Babul Supriyo, a minister in the Narendra Modi government, and Locket Chatterjee, were trailing in Tollygunge and Chuunchura seats. Supriyo represents Asansol and Chatterjee Hooghly seat in the Lok Sabha. (PTI)
BJP candidate from Nandigram Suvendu Adhikari continues to lead Mamata Banerjee by 3,710 votes.
Writer and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Swapan Dasgupta, who is on TMC's Ramendu Sinharay, is trailing by over 5,000 votes.
As West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress surged ahead according to early trends, here are some visuals from the BJP's party office in Kolkata:
TMC candidate Sujata Mondal is leading in Arambag with over 1,274 votes.
Official trends at 11:20 am showed that the TMC was ahead of the BJP on 166 seats, while the latter is leading on 83.
A look at where the Trinamool Congress and BJP currently stands according to data from the Election Commission:
Too early to say anything because there are so many rounds. Situation will be clear only by evening. We had started from 3 and were challenged that we won't get even 100. We have crossed that mark. We will cross the magic number too: Kailash Vijayvargiya. (ANI)