Bengal bye-elections: TMC leads in all four seats; party workers, fans celebrate

The trend that the TMC was leading was clear by 10am, and celebrations broke out in several parts of the constituencies that went to polls. TMC workers burst firecrackers and celebrated with colour

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Bengal was leading in all four assembly constituencies on Tuesday morning where bye-elections were held on Saturday, sparking early celebrations among party workers and supporters.

A file photo of Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) was leading in all four assembly constituencies on Tuesday morning where bye-elections were held on Saturday. (ANI/File)

According to latest reports, the TMC’s margin at the top was highest in Gosaba in South 24 Parganas, where its candidate Subrata Saha was leading by around 98,000 votes.

The TMC was also ahead in Dinhata in north Bengal, where party heavyweight Udayan Guha was leading by more than 81,000 votes.

“In the assembly elections, we lost by 57 votes. We set a target to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the by-polls by 57,000 votes. But as the by-elections came closer, our workers became charged up and we changed our target to defeating the BJP by a margin of at least 100,000 votes,” said Udayan Guha.

Palash Rana, BJP candidate from Gosaba, said, “When the by-elections could not be held in a free and fair manner, what result can you expect on the counting day?”

In the other two constituencies - Santipur in Nadia and Khardah in North 24 Parganas - the ruling TMC was leading by a margin of more than 12,000 votes and 18000 votes, respectively, poll panel officials said.

The trend that TMC was leading was already clear by around 10am, and celebrations broke out in several parts of the constituencies that went to polls.

TMC workers burst firecrackers and celebrated with colour, with Covid-19 safety protocols taking a back seat.

“The counting was going on peacefully and there were no reports of any untoward incidents,” said a poll panel official.

In May this year, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC party won the assembly polls for the third time in a row with a sweeping victory in the 292-seat contest. Later, the party won two more seats in bye-elections held on September 30.

If the party wins all four seats, its tally in the state assembly will rise to 217.