National, May 4: The Bharatiya Janata Party appeared set for a historic breakthrough in West Bengal on May 4, breaching the long-standing dominance of the All India Trinamool Congress and moving closer to forming its first government in the state.
According to the latest trends released by the Election Commission of India, the BJP was leading in 194 of the 294 Assembly seats, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 148. The Trinamool Congress, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was trailing with leads in 96 constituencies, while Left parties were ahead in two seats.
Early trends had suggested a closely contested race, but the BJP steadily expanded its lead as counting progressed through successive rounds.
Reacting to the developments, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari expressed confidence that the party was on course for a decisive mandate. He attributed the surge to anti-incumbency and consolidation of support in favour of the BJP, while also pointing to shifts in voting patterns in districts such as Malda, Murshidabad and Uttar Dinajpur.
Adhikari further claimed that the BJP was making inroads into constituencies traditionally regarded as Trinamool strongholds, including Bhabanipur.
The high-stakes election witnessed significant voter participation, with West Bengal recording one of its highest polling percentages since Independence. Phase I recorded a turnout of 93.19 per cent, while Phase II saw 91.66 per cent voting, taking the overall turnout to 92.47 per cent.
The BJP is expected to hold victory celebrations later in the day at its headquarters, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to join virtually, according to party sources.
