Kolkata: By noon on counting day, the trends suggested that Trinamool Congress was on its way to forming government in West Bengal for the third straight time. But there was one worry: the party’s supremo Mamata Banerjee was trailing Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram.
As the day progressed, the fight in the most high-profile constituency of the state got more intense and close. The lead changed hands frequently, almost after every round. At one point, Suvendu reportedly led by just 6 votes.
At the end of the day, though, it was Mamata who looks to be having the last laugh. Though the formal announcement is yet to be made, ANI reported that the chief minister beat her former partymate and close aide Suvendu by a margin of 1200 votes.
All results are yet to be declared, but as per trends at 5 pm, TMC was ahead in 210 seats in the 294-seat assembly, while the BJP led in 82 constituencies.