Early counting trends in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections on Monday indicated a closely watched contest in the Bhabanipur constituency, with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Leader Suvendu Adhikari initially taking a narrow lead over Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the first hour of vote counting. The early numbers set the tone for a high-stakes electoral battle in one of the state’s most politically significant seats.

Bhabanipur has long been a crucial constituency for Mamata Banerjee, who shifted there after her 2021 loss in Nandigram. That earlier contest saw Suvendu Adhikari, once a close aide in the Trinamool Congress before joining the BJP, defeat her by a narrow margin of under 2,000 votes. His continued political rivalry with Banerjee has made both Nandigram and Bhabanipur focal points in West Bengal’s electoral landscape.

According to early trends around 8:45 a.m., the BJP was leading in approximately 45 seats across the state, while the Trinamool Congress was ahead in 31 constituencies. The Congress showed early leads in two seats. These figures, however, reflect only initial counting trends, with postal ballots being processed in the first phase of counting before Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) results were fully integrated.

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The counting process began at 8 a.m. with postal ballots, following revised guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Under the new system, postal ballot counting is conducted exclusively for the first 30 minutes before simultaneous counting of EVM votes begins. Officials stated that this change aims to streamline results and ensure that postal ballot counting does not delay final outcomes, with clearer trends expected by noon.

Officials from the Chief Electoral Officer’s office also noted that in case postal ballot counting lags behind, EVM counting may be temporarily paused to ensure synchronization. The election is being held for 293 of 294 Assembly constituencies, as repolling in the Falta constituency is scheduled separately. The final result for that seat will be declared later in the month.

The broader electoral contest in West Bengal remains primarily between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP, with both parties intensifying their campaigns in the run-up to counting day. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress secured 216 seats, while the BJP won 77, marking a significant opposition presence. This time, early trends suggest a closely fought race as both parties await clearer results from the ongoing counting process.

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