TMC-BJP Locked in Tight Race in Bengal, DMK Edges Ahead in Tamil Nadu: Early Trends

Early counting trends on Monday pointed to a fiercely contested battle in West Bengal, where the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were locked in a near tie, while in Tamil Nadu the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) opened a narrow lead over the AIADMK-led alliance.

As of around 9 am, both the TMC and BJP were showing leads in roughly 112 seats each in West Bengal, according to early trends based on Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) counts. The Election Commission of India has yet to release official consolidated figures.

In Tamil Nadu, the DMK was ahead in about 55 constituencies, compared with roughly 25 for the opposition alliance, suggesting an early but not decisive advantage as counting progressed.

The numbers come shortly after EVM counting began at 8:30 a.m., following initial postal ballot tallies. Officials cautioned that trends could shift significantly through the day as more rounds of counting are completed.

Tensions surfaced early in West Bengal, where BJP candidate Arjun Singh alleged irregularities at a counting centre in the Noapara constituency. He claimed that neither he nor his election agent had been allowed entry even as officials announced the opening of strong rooms, raising concerns of possible malpractice.

“Till now the candidate or the election agent has not reached the counting centre, and they are making announcements that they are opening the strong room. This is an attempt to commit fraud. We will complain right now, we are going to the observer,” Singh said.

Separately, a verbal spat broke out between rival polling agents inside a counting centre, with TMC representatives alleging they were not allowed to carry files or pens while BJP agents were permitted. BJP agents denied the charge, instead accusing their counterparts of lacking proper identification and creating disruption.

Security was tightened across sensitive locations. Armoured patrols were deployed in parts of West Bengal, including Malda, while strong rooms were opened under strict supervision in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry ahead of counting.

In Tamil Nadu, authorities implemented a three-layer security system at counting centres, with barricades and thorough vehicle checks in place to ensure smooth conduct of the process.

With early trends indicating close contests and sporadic tensions on the ground, the final outcome remains uncertain as counting continues.

(With inputs from ANI)