Kolkata, May 4 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday maintained a strong lead over BJP challenger Suvendu Adhikari by 15,494 votes in the high-profile Bhabanipur constituency in south Kolkata, after initial fluctuations in early rounds of counting.
According to Election Commission data, Banerjee secured 35,522 votes against Adhikari’s 20,028 at the end of the eighth round of counting.
The TMC supremo had earlier built a commanding lead of 17,371 votes by the end of the seventh round, polling 32,822 votes against Adhikari’s 15,451, before the margin narrowed slightly in the subsequent round.
The contest witnessed sharp swings in the initial rounds.
Banerjee had opened with a lead of 1,996 votes in the first round, polling 3,666 votes against Adhikari’s 1,670.
However, Adhikari overturned the advantage in the second round, moving ahead by 1,558 votes.
Banerjee bounced back in the third round, regaining the lead by 898 votes, before surging ahead by 8,482 votes at the end of the fourth round.
The Bhabanipur seat will witness a total of 20 rounds of counting before results are declared.
Counting of votes for 293 assembly constituencies in West Bengal was underway amid tight security arrangements.
The Bhabanipur contest has emerged as one of the most keenly watched battles in the state, with Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition, positioning himself as the BJP’s principal challenger to Banerjee in a prestige fight.
With several rounds still to be counted, trends are expected to evolve further as counting progresses. PTI BSM PNT BDC SMY PNT MNB
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