BJP may create history in West Bengal, leading in around 15 seats

Kolkata, May 23: The BJP which did not have a major presence in West Bengal, considered a TMC bastion, is leading in over 15 Lok Sabha seats, as per latest updates. The TMC is also leading in around 15-16 seats, as of 10 am on May 23.

The significance of this development is that in 2014, the TMC had won 34 of the 42 seats in West Bengal and the BJP could win just 2 seats - Asansol and Darjeeling. The BJP's better than before performance was expected as the saffron party had gained almost 10 per cent in terms of vote share in 2014, as compared to 2009.

During the campaign phase, West Bengal saw a spate of violence between the BJP and the TMC workers. Almost in every phase, there were reports of violence which reached a cresendo on May 15 when Amit Shah took out a road show in West Bengal. Clashes broke out and a statue of social reformed Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar was damaged for which both the parties blamed each other.

TMC chief and WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were involved in a bitter war of words throughout the campaign phase. The BJP had vowed to win at least 23 seats in West Bengal which would be quite an acheivement in a state where the party thus far had a weak presence.

Elections in West Bengal were held across all the seven phases and violence was witnessed in most of the phases. Every phase has had its own share of violence that was unleashed on and around the polling day. Murders, clashes, stonepelting, lathicharge, firing, arson, West Bengal witnessed all during Lok Sabha elections 2019.

West Bengal, a state in East India, has 42 Lok Sabha seats. In the previous Lok Sabha elections in 2014, the Mamata Banerjee-led All Indian Trinamoool Congreess had won 34 seats with a vote share of 39.8 per cent. The Indian National Congress (INC), with 9.7 per cent votes, had won 4 seats, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Janata Party bagged 2 seats each with vote shares of 23 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively.