West Bengal Election Results Today: Mamata Banerjee vs BJP

Kolkata. Today will end the curiosity of whether Mamata Banerjee, who has been ruling West Bengal's power for 15 years, will make a comeback for the fourth time or if the BJP will create history for the first time. 

The counting of votes in 293 seats in Bengal will start from 8 am. According to the Election Commission, postal ballots will be counted first and then EVMs will be opened. The new political picture of Bengal is expected to become clear by 1 pm. 

This time, both Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have claimed to cross 200 seats. However, 6 out of 8 post-poll exit polls have predicted the exit of the Mamata government and the BJP taking the lead. 

This year, 92.47 percent voting has been recorded, the highest in Bengal's electoral history, which has heated up the political circles as to whether it indicates an anti-incumbency wave or great enthusiasm from voters. Especially, this election remained in further discussion due to the removal of about 91 lakh names from the voter list. Although the percentage is considered to have increased due to the decrease in the number of voters, some have analyzed that people are more conscious about voting due to the fear of citizenship. 

Similarly, this year, the participation of female voters is 1.5 percent higher than that of male voters, which is considered to be the effect of Mamata government's women-centric schemes like Laxmir Bhandar and Kanyashree. On the other hand, the BJP has made the issues of women's safety and corruption like ration and teacher recruitment scams its main weapon. 

A positive aspect has been seen in this year's Bengal elections, which have a history of violence. While 58 people lost their lives in the 2021 elections, this time, despite incidents of violence and clashes, no one has died. In 2016, the BJP, which opened its account with only 3 seats, won 77 seats in 2021 to become the main opposition party. 

This time, the BJP has strategized to increase its vote share and capture power, while Mamata has taken maintaining her prestige as the main challenge.