Explained: BJP’s impressive show in Mamata’s Bengal

Kolkata, May 23: The Bharatiya Janata Party was expecting an impressive double digit score in West Bengal, giving Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress a tough challenge soon the vote counting for the general election 2019 on Thursday began. The TMC leading in 26 of the state's 42 seats, BJP was ahead in 15 and Congress in 1 seat presently.

Despite all the negative publicity of the Saradha chit fund scandal TMC is leading in 26 seats. The BJP, which didn't have much of an organisation in the state, however, appeared to have been boosted by the Narendra Modi wave which saw the party's vote share increased. Bengal voted in all seven phases for Lok Sabha Elections 2019. There are 42 seats in the state with prime parties being TMC, Congress, BJP and the Left. The voting percentage in West Bengal was recorded to be between 80-82 per cent in all seven phases in the national election 2019.

In 2014 Lok Sabha Polls, Bengal voter turnout was 82.6 per cent with the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) winning 34 seats, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) won only 2 seats.

The vote shares of BJP in Bengal are - In Bankura the BJP candidate Subhas Sarkar leading by 2687 votes over TMC's Subrata Mukherjee. Rantideb Sengupta from BJP is also leading against TMC candidate and soccer player Prasun Banerjee by 1150 votes. BJP's Abhijit Mukherjee son of former president Pranab Mukherjee is trailing by 14,333 votes against Khalilur Rahman (TMC) in Jangipur. BJP Bengal President Dilip Ghosh is leading from Medinipur constituency. Former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh, is leading from Ghatal by almost a 1000 votes.

According to a Bengali news portal Kolkata24x7 out of the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal, the BJP is leading in these following provinces - Asansol, Hooghly, Alipurduar, Bangaon, Bankura, Bishnupur,Burdwan Durgapur Maldah Jhargram Ghatal, Purulia.

Prominent names contesting from Bengal include Union Ministers Babul Supriyo and SS Ahluwalia, TMC leaders Dinesh Trivedi, Moon Moon Sen, BJP leaders Joy Banerjee who is a veteran actor, Locket Chatterjee who is an actress and president of State Mahila Morcha, Congress' Suvra Ghosh who is sister-in-law of former President Pranab Mukherjee and Deepa Das Munshi who is wife of former Minister Priyaranjan Das Munshi.

This year the national election was held in all seven phases from April 11 to May 19. Over 2,000 parties and 8,000 candidates contested for 543 seats to choose the 17th Lok Sabha. The members of the largest party or coalition will then choose the Prime Minister.