Vote counting to begin shortly; when will results be known

Vote counting for the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election in West Bengal will begin today, Monday, at 8:00 am local time (8:30 am Bangladesh time). Political tension is running high across the state ahead of the results.

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling All India Trinamool Congress are confident of victory, although exit polls have delivered mixed signals.

Counting will begin simultaneously at 77 centres across 23 districts, including Kolkata, from 8:00 am local time. In the previous election, there were 108 such centres. The largest counting centre in Kolkata has been set up at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, where results for 7 out of the city’s 11 constituencies will be counted.

Postal ballots will be counted first, followed by the opening of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Trends indicating winners and losers are expected to emerge by around noon. However, complete counting may continue into the night at some centres.

Ballots are currently being kept in “strong rooms” under tight security, with strict surveillance in place. Central security forces are guarding the facilities. Both the Trinamool Congress and BJP have also stationed their own guards outside various counting centres. However, Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of the state and leader of the Trinamool Congress, has earlier expressed concerns that the BJP could manipulate EVM results with the involvement of the Election Commission.

The Election Commission of India, however, has taken extensive measures to ensure a fair counting process. Counting centres have been placed under a three-tier security system. Authorised counting agents of political parties have been issued QR code–enabled identity cards. No counting agent will be allowed to carry a mobile phone inside the centres; only election officials are permitted to use phones.

Special attention will be on results from Bhabanipur, where Mamata Banerjee is contesting against opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari.

Among Trinamool’s prominent candidates, focus will also be on Firhad Hakim in Kolkata Port, Debasish Kumar in Rashbehari, Nayana Bandyopadhyay in Chowringhee, Kunal Ghosh in Beleghata, Shashi Panja in Shyampukur, and Madhuporna Thakur in Bagda of North 24 Parganas.

Among BJP candidates, attention will be on Rudranil Ghosh in Shibpur, Agnimitra Paul in Asansol South, Arjun Singh in Noapara, Tarunjyoti Tewari in Rajarhat-Gopalpur, and Ratna Debnath in Panihati.

Among left candidates, results of Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, Minakshi Mukherjee, and Sayandeep Mitra will be closely watched. From the Indian National Congress, attention will be on Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Mausam Benazir Noor, Subhankar Sarkar, Manoj Chakraborty, Shahnaz Begum, and Abdur Razzak Molla. Interest will also surround Naushad Siddique of the Indian Secular Front.

Earlier, voting for the 294 seats of the West Bengal Assembly was held in two phases on 23 April and 29 April. In the first phase, voting took place in 152 constituencies across 16 districts, while in the second phase, voting was held in 142 constituencies across seven districts, including Kolkata. In the first phase, 1,478 candidates contested, including 167 women. In the second phase, 1,448 candidates contested, including 220 women.

The fate of all these candidates will be decided tomorrow.