Chaos in Bengal: Chairs, vehicles vandalised near Asansol counting centre

The Election Commission of India is counting the votes for the assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry.

Updated on: May 4, 2026, 13:39:04 IST

By HT News Desk

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While vote counting is underway in West Bengal, with early trends showing the BJP leading by a large margin, reports of violence have emerged from parts of the state. Near the counting centre at Asansol Engineering College, a scuffle broke out, during which chairs and vehicles were vandalised.

Visuals show broken chairs near the counting centre at Asansol Engineering College. (Screengrab/ANI)

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee also released a sos message accusing the BJP and Election Commission of not releasing trends where TMC is leading. BJP-led NDA has crossed the majority mark of 148 seats in the states. As of 1 pm, it stands at 183 seats, while TMC trails with 89 seats.

Banerjee called on party workers to stay at the centres, alleging that counting has been stopped.

“As I said yesterday, they would show BJP in the lead after 2-3 rounds... counting has been stopped at around 100 places,” she said in her message on X.

"There are around 100 seats in which TNMC is ahead, but it is not being revealed," she added.

Banerjee leading in Bhabanipur

In Bhabanipur, Banerjee is leading against its BJP rival Suvendu Adhikari. As per ECI data, the chief minister is leading by 15494 votes. Adhikari stands at 20028 votes. The Bhabanipur seat will witness a total of 20 rounds of counting before results are declared.

The Election Commission of India is counting the votes for the assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry. The votes for seven bypoll assembly seats are also being counted today.

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