New Delhi, May 4
Counting of votes for the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry begins on Monday, and final results are expected by the end of the day as trends emerge through multiple counting rounds.
Nearly 25 crore people in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Assam finished voting in one of the most important elections in recent times.
In West Bengal, the excitement reached an all-time high with a record-breaking 92.93 per cent of voters showing up to the polls.
However, on Monday, there is counting underway for only 293 of 294 Assembly constituencies in the state, since the Election Commission of India (ECI), on Saturday, had announced re-polling for the entire Falta Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district on May 21, the results for which will be declared on May 24.
Meanwhile, tight security was observed at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata as vote counting begins.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) are battling for a fourth consecutive term against a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that has transformed from a marginal player to a formidable contender.
Further South, Tamil Nadu has delivered its own record-breaking performance with an 85.1 per cent turnout. The traditionally bipolar contest between the DMK and AIADMK has been disrupted by the entry of actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
Security was tightened at the DMK headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, as counting for the Assembly elections begins.
Internal surveys and exit projections indicate that while Chief Minister MK Stalin's DMK-led alliance remains the frontrunner with projections between 120 and 145 seats, the TVK has emerged as a potent third force.
The data suggests that Vijay's party could capture a significant 30 per cent vote share in specific urban pockets like Chennai and Madurai.
Kerala, meanwhile, is testing the limits of incumbency. The Left Democratic Front (LDF), under Pinarayi Vijayan, is attempting a historic third consecutive term, a feat never achieved in the state's modern history. However, the data points to a tight squeeze, with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) projected to hover around the 72-seat mark in the 140-member House.
The UDF's potential revival in Kerala is not just a local win; it is a lifeline for the Congress at a national level, proving its ability to lead a major alliance to victory without being a junior partner.
In the Northeast, Assam presents a picture of consolidation. The BJP-led NDA, steered by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, appears positioned to score a hat-trick.
Exit polls projected the NDA securing between 85 and 100 seats in the 126-member Assembly.
The Congress-led Opposition, despite forming a six-party front, has struggled to dismantle the BJP's robust organisational machinery.
- IANS
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