West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 (Live): BJP Moving Towards A Sweeping Victory For The First Time In Bengal's Political History
The vote counting for the West Bengal assembly elections 2026 is underway to decide the fate of the high-stakes battle between TMC and BJP in KOLKATA. The fate of West Bengal’s political future is being unsealed today, May 4, 2026, as counting begins for the 294-seat Assembly.
The current trends by the Election Commission of India show that the BJP is running far ahead on 167 seats, while the AITC is on 82 seats, and BGPM, AJUP, and CPIM are ahead on 1-1-1 seats.
The victory is seen as an ideological prestige for the BJP as it is the birthplace of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJP’s predecessor).
With a record-shattering preliminary voter turnout of 92.93%, the stakes have never been higher for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Suvendu Adhikari’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
This election is the first since the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which saw the removal of nearly 91 lakh names (roughly 11.6% of the electorate). The TMC has alleged this exercise targeted their support base, while the BJP maintains it was a necessary “clean-up” of the rolls.
Analysts are keeping a close eye on the Matua belt (14 seats) and Muslim-decisive seats (41 seats). In 2021, the TMC swept the Muslim-majority areas, while the BJP made deep inroads into the Matua community.
The state remains on a knife-edge. While most exit polls (Chanakya, P-MARQ) projected a slim lead for the BJP (150–170 seats), others like People’s Pulse predicted a massive TMC comeback with 175+ seats.
Security has been tightened to “unprecedented levels” around counting centers. Section 144 has been imposed in sensitive pockets of North 24 Parganas and Birbhum to prevent post-poll violence.
In Kalighat, TMC supporters have begun gathering with green abeer (powder), while the BJP state headquarters in Salt Lake remains cautiously optimistic, citing their projected gains in the “Poll of Polls.”
The first clear picture of who will cross the magic figure of 148 is expected by 2:00 PM
