The Trinamool Congress (TMC) put up a dominant show in West Bengal and was leading in 30 of 42 Lok Sabha constituencies, while the BJP was ahead in 11 and Congress one, as per early trends of the Election Commission.
National general secretary of the Trinamool Congress Abhishek Banerjee, a two-term Member of Parliament, is poised to clinch a resounding victory in the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency. As the vote counting continues, Banerjee has established an insurmountable lead of more than 6.5 lakh votes over his competitors.
The Election Commission’s most recent updates reveal that Banerjee has amassed an impressive tally of 929,584 votes. In contrast, his closest contender, Abhijit Das from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has only managed to secure 2,74,476 votes, trailing significantly behind Banerjee.
With such a substantial margin, Banerjee’s imminent triumph is not only assured but also has the potential to be etched in history as one of the most decisive victories witnessed in Lok Sabha elections in recent times. This resounding mandate from the constituents of Diamond Harbour underscores Banerjee’s popularity and the unwavering support he enjoys from the electorate.
Meanwhile, Political newcomer Yusuf Pathan from TMC appears poised to unseat five-term Congress stalwart Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Baharampur. Despite the formidable Mamata Banerjee wave, Chowdhury had previously maintained a stronghold in the region.
The former cricketer is leading by 72,000 votes as of 3:30 PM, according to the Election Commission of India. In fact, Chowdhury was once third in the race.
The state voted in all seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.
Most of the pollsters have predicted massive gains for the BJP in West Bengal. India Today-Axis My India has forecast anywhere between 26–31 seats for the BJP and between 11-14 for the TMC.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 18 of the state’s 42 seats. The TMC had won 22 seats.
As the counting of votes was underway, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a meeting at her home in Kolkata on the future course of action. Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who is contesting from Diamond Harbour, was also present at the meeting.
She claimed that such exit polls had no value and cited how pollsters had gotten their predictions wrong in the 2016 and 2021 Bengal Assembly elections, both of which were won handsomely by the Trinamool Congress.
The BJP, on the other hand, had exuded confidence in a better showing in the state and hoped it would get more seats compared to Trinamool Congress.