BJP Leads in Early Trends for Jhargram Seat in Bengal Elections

Kolkata, May 4: In the early trends of the West Bengal Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading in the Jhargram seat, according to initial figures from the Election Commission. By 9:30 AM, BJP candidate Lakshmikant Sahu had secured over 900 votes, while his rival from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Mangal Saren, was trailing behind.

The vote counting for the two-phase assembly elections began at 8 AM on Monday. The counting of postal ballots was conducted first, followed by the electronic voting machine (EVM) votes.

Notably, counting is currently taking place for 293 out of the 294 seats in the state. The Election Commission has decided to hold a re-poll for the Falta assembly seat in the South 24 Parganas district on May 21, with results expected to be announced on May 24.

This election has seen some changes in the counting process. Unlike previous elections where the counting of postal ballots was completed before EVM votes were counted, this time, postal ballots were counted from 8 AM to 8:30 AM, after which both postal and EVM votes were counted simultaneously.

According to an official from the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office, this new system aims to ensure timely completion of postal ballot counting. If the counting of postal ballots is not finished before the last two rounds in any counting room, the counting of EVM votes will be temporarily halted until the postal ballots are fully counted. Only then will the counting of EVM votes resume.

Officials believe that this new procedure will provide a clear trend of results by noon.

The main contest in West Bengal is seen between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the major opposition party, BJP. In the 2021 assembly elections, the TMC won a significant victory with 216 seats, while the BJP secured 77 seats, and the All India Secular Front (AISF) managed to win 1 seat.

Both the Congress and the Left Front failed to win any seats last time. This time, their main goal is to re-establish their presence in the assembly. However, the Congress and Left Front are contesting separately, with the Left Front sharing seats with the AISF.

Voting took place in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with a record turnout of approximately 93 percent. Most exit polls have suggested the end of the 15-year rule of the TMC government and the possibility of the BJP coming to power, although the final picture will only be clear with the results.

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