Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal stated that the Election Commission has implemented identical arrangements at every counting centre in West Bengal ahead of the election results, ensuring three-tier security for the counting process.

Addressing concerns about security classifications, Agarwal clarified that the Commission has not designated any counting centres as sensitive or non-sensitive. He said, “The arrangements are the same everywhere, there are no sensitive or non-sensitive counting centres…There is a three-tier security. Besides CAPF, there are the Armed Police and the State Police. All kinds of arrangements are in place. There is no issue at all.”

Furthermore, the Election Commission has requested uninterrupted power supply during the counting process from the power department. Agarwal noted, “Power cuts are not in the hands of Election Commission. It is up to the Power Department. I have made all requests for the Power Department to provide an uninterrupted power supply. Generators are available too, there will be no issue.”

Counting of votes in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and the Union Territory of Puducherry is scheduled to commence at 8:00 am on Monday, beginning with postal ballots, followed by EVM counting from 8:30 am. Results will be updated round-wise in real time on the ECINET platform and the official Election Commission portal.

Exit polls indicate a close competition between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) across West Bengal’s 294 seats. Some projections, such as those by Chanakya Strategies and Matrize, suggest an advantage for the BJP, while others forecast a tight contest with the TMC maintaining a substantial number of seats. Smaller parties are expected to have a limited impact on the final outcome.