Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters at 6:30 PM today, following the declaration of the Assembly election results. He will address the party workers at the headquarters.
The development comes as counting is underway for Assembly elections across four states and one Union Territory, with early trends showing massive leads for the BJP in West Bengal and Assam.
Bengal Takes Massive Lead In Bengal
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) surged ahead in early trends in West Bengal on Monday, leading in 111 Assembly seats compared to the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s 69 as counting progressed, pointing to a potential shift in the state’s political balance after a closely contested election.
Initial trends indicate a regionally divided mandate, with the BJP gaining ground in border, tribal, and industrial belts, while the TMC retained its hold in parts of Kolkata and select rural pockets. Counting for all 293 seats began at 8 am with postal ballots, followed by votes recorded in electronic voting machines.
The election is being viewed as a crucial test for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term against an assertive BJP aiming to build on its 2021 performance.
According to Election Commission data, Banerjee was leading in her Bhabanipur seat by 898 votes over BJP rival Suvendu Adhikari after the first round, offering some early relief to the ruling party in a key constituency.
Meanwhile, in Nandigram, another high-profile contest, television reports indicated Adhikari was ahead by more than 3,100 votes against TMC’s Pabitra Kar after the opening round, though official figures were yet to be updated by the Election Commission.
BJP To Sweep Assam Again
The ruling NDA established an early advantage in Assam on Monday, leading in 98 of the 126 Assembly constituencies, while the Congress was ahead in 25 seats, according to data released by the Election Commission.
Among the NDA constituents, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was leading in 78 seats, with its allies, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF), ahead in 10 seats each. The Congress had leads in 25 constituencies, while its ally Raijor Dal was leading in one seat. The All India United Democratic Front was ahead in two seats, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in one.
In key contests, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was leading from Jalukbari, while state Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi was trailing BJP’s Hitendranath Goswami in Jorhat. AJP leader Lurinjyoti Gogoi, who had initially been ahead, later fell behind BJP’s Chakradhar Gogoi in Khowang.
Senior AGP leaders and ministers Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta were leading in Bokakhat and Kaliabor respectively. Former Congress leaders Pradyut Bordoloi and Bhupen Borah, who joined the BJP ahead of the polls, were ahead in Dispur and Bihpuria.
Several ministers, including Ranoj Pegu, Pijush Hazarika, Ashok Singhal, Prashanta Phukan and Bimal Borah, also took early leads in their respective seats of Dhemaji, Jagiroad, Dhekiajuli, Dibrugarh and Tingkhong.
Counting began at 8 am with postal ballots, and is being conducted at 40 centres across all 35 districts. While most districts have a single counting centre, Nagaon has three, and Kokrajhar, Tinsukia and Jorhat have two centres each.
Polling for all 126 constituencies was held in a single phase on April 9, recording a high turnout of 85.96 per cent among over 2.5 crore voters.
