KOLKATA: The BJP maintained a strong lead in West Bengal on Monday, surging ahead in 152 Assembly seats against the TMC's 81 as counting progressed steadily, signalling a potential political churn in a state long dominated by Mamata Banerjee and setting the stage for a high-stakes power shift.
With the halfway mark of 148 in the 294-member House within striking distance, the BJP's early momentum pointed to a possible breakthrough, while the ruling TMC scrambled to close the gap in what is emerging as a fiercely contested and potentially game-changing electoral battle.
The early numbers suggested a geographically split mandate in the making, with the BJP pushing ahead in border, tribal and industrial regions, while the TMC held ground in parts of Kolkata and select rural strongholds.
Counting for 293 Assembly seats began at 8 am with postal ballots, followed by EVM votes.
The Election Commission has countermanded polls in the entire Falta constituency in South 24 Parganas district, citing "severe electoral offences and subversion of democratic process during polling in a large number of polling stations".
The election is widely seen as a referendum on Banerjee's bid for a fourth consecutive term against an aggressive BJP that has sought to convert its 2021 gains into a decisive breakthrough.
According to Election Commission data, Banerjee was leading in her Bhabanipur stronghold by 898 votes over BJP challenger Suvendu Adhikari after three rounds of counting, offering early comfort to the ruling party in a prestige seat even as the broader trend favoured the saffron party.
The Bhabanipur contest witnessed sharp swings through the morning, with Banerjee leading in the first round, trailing in the second, and regaining the advantage in the third -- underlining the volatility of early trends.
However, in Nandigram, the other marquee battleground, television channels showed Adhikari ahead by over 3,100 votes against TMC's Pabitra Kar after the first round, though the Election Commission was yet to upload official figures.
"Out of the 14 booths counted in the first round, five were Muslim-dominated. Even there, the TMC is struggling," Adhikari claimed, asserting that the BJP was headed for a victory and was leading in over 135 of the 293 seats.
Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir was leading in the Nowda seat in Murshidabad district over his nearest TMC rival after the first round of counting, Election Commission figures confirmed. Kabir held a lead margin of 2,890 votes over TMC's Sahina Momtaz Khan, with 19 counting rounds remaining.
The Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), an ally of the TMC in the Darjeeling hills, was leading in Kalimpong, underlining the regional dynamics in the hills where alliances often play a decisive role.
Initial trends from various parts of West Bengal, according to Election Commission figures, showed several TMC leaders trailing their nearest BJP rivals, triggering concern among supporters and prompting party leaders to exercise caution in making claims of a landslide victory.
In Cooch Behar district's Dinhata, minister Udayan Guha was trailing by 6,259 votes against BJP's Ajay Ray after four of the 24 rounds of counting.
TMC's Manas Ranjan Bhunia was trailing in Paschim Medinipur district's Sabang assembly constituency, where he has won seven elections earlier.
BJP's Amal Kumar Panda was leading by 693 votes in Sabang after the third round of counting.
In Kolkata, BJP's Purnima Chakraborty was ahead by 1,430 votes over TMC minister Shashi Panja, signalling early cracks in some urban pockets for the ruling party.
In Monteswar, BJP's Saikat Panja was leading by a substantial margin of 13,308 votes over TMC's Siddiqullah Chowdhury, while in Asansol Dakshin, BJP leader Agnimitra Paul was ahead by 18,812 votes.
West Bengal Assembly Speaker and TMC leader Biman Banerjee was trailing by 1,448 votes in Baruipur Paschim constituency.
The BJP was also leading in a swath of constituencies, including Dinhata, Gosaba, Baghmundi, Bankura, Durgapur Purba, Binpur, Nayagram, Rajganj and Bhagwangola, indicating early traction across Junglemahal, north Bengal and industrial belts.
In contrast, the TMC retained leads in pockets such as Deganga, where Anisur Rahaman Bidesh was ahead by 2,184 votes, besides urban seats like Kasba, Ballygunge, Bhabanipur and Entally, and rural belts including Singur, Raina, Jamalpur, Khandaghosh, Sitai, Malatipur and Mothabari.
The CPI(M) was leading in the Domkal seat in Murshidabad district.
Officials cautioned that trends could shift significantly as more rounds are counted, with clearer patterns expected only later in the day.