Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress preisdent Mamata Banerjee on May 2 thanked her supporters and asked them not to take to the streets to celebrate the party’s imminent victory in the West Bengal assembly election, with the trends giving the party a huge win.
Stepping outside her house briefly to address supporters, Banerjee also said that she would address the media after 6 pm. “I would like to thank everyone. I request all to not take out victory processions. I urge everyone to go back to their homes now. I will address the media after 6 pm,” ANI quoted the leader say.
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TMC was on course to retain power in West Bengal with its candidates leading 205 of the 292 seats that went to polls. This is way over the halfway mark of 147, leaving the nearest rival BJP far behind with 79 seats. Trends were available for all 292 seats as counting of votes was on.
Of the votes counted so far, the TMC has secured 48.51 percent, while the BJP got 37.49 percent, as per the Election Commission.
Banerjee defeated former protégé-turned-BJP rival Suvendu Adhikari in a closely contested battle in Nandigram by 1,200 votes.
The battle in Nandigram was a cliff-hanger, with Adhikari leading in the initial round of counting but Banerjee reversed the trend by noon. Before the final round of counting, Adhikari got a slender leader of six votes. However, after the last round was completed, the TMC chief was home, winning the most-watched contest of the election by 1,200 votes.
Also Read | Mamata Banerjee: A long history of fighting high-stakes battles
The Left-Congress was not leading on a single seat. The Left had ruled the state for over three decades until 2011 and the Congress was the second-largest party in the previous assembly polls.
Banerjee’s political aide and I-PAC chief Prashant Kishor has said he’s quitting the poll campaign management space despite helping TMC to a famous win.
Polling was held in eight phases in West Bengal between March 27 and April 29. Apart from Bengal, counting of votes for the assembly polls is also underway in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
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