Counting of votes for Assembly elections across five states begins today, with West Bengal emerging as the principal battleground where a high-stakes contest between the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be decided.
The results will also determine the political direction in Assam, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where polling concluded last month.
In Bengal, counting will begin at 8 am across 77 centres for 293 of the 294 constituencies.
Polling in the Falta seat in South 24 Parganas district was countermanded by the Election Commission due to reported electoral irregularities, with fresh polling and counting scheduled later this month.
The two-phase election on April 23 and April 29 recorded a voter turnout of 92.47 per cent, the highest in the state since Independence, according to officials. Repolling in 15 booths concluded on Saturday with nearly 87 per cent turnout.
The election witnessed a relatively peaceful polling process, aided by the deployment of over 2.5 lakh central paramilitary personnel and a restructured state police force. No poll-related deaths were reported, marking a significant departure from previous election cycles.
This was also the first election in two decades conducted after a comprehensive revision of electoral rolls through a controversial SIR exercise, which led to the deletion of more than 90 lakh voters. The impact of the revision on electoral outcomes remains uncertain.
The campaign saw an intense face-off between the TMC and the BJP, with both parties expressing confidence of victory. Senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, led an aggressive campaign focusing on issues such as corruption, law and order, infiltration and unemployment.
The TMC, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and party MP Abhishek Banerjee, countered by raising concerns over the voter roll revision exercise, alleging harassment, and emphasising its governance record.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Indian National Congress are also in the fray, seeking to regain political space after their poor performance in the 2021 elections.
In Kolkata, counting for 11 constituencies will be held across five locations, including Netaji Indoor Stadium and Ballygunge Government High School. The Bhabanipur seat remains a key contest, where Mamata Banerjee faces BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
With over 3.21 crore voters having cast their ballots, the outcome is expected to have significant political implications. The results will determine whether the TMC retains power in Bengal or the BJP succeeds in making a historic electoral breakthrough.