West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday extended her lead over BJP challenger Suvendu Adhikari by 16,706 votes in the high-profile Bhabanipur constituency in south Kolkata after early swings.
According to Election Commission data, Banerjee secured 25,942 votes against Adhikari’s 9,236 at the end of the fifth round of counting, building a commanding advantage in what began as a see-saw contest.
The race witnessed sharp reversals in the initial rounds.
Banerjee opened with a lead of 1,996 votes in the first round, polling 3,666 votes to Adhikari’s 1,670. Adhikari overturned the deficit in the second round to lead by 1,558 votes.
Banerjee regained the lead in the third round by 898 votes before extending it to 8,482 by the end of that round.
Counting for all 293 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal was underway amid tight security.
The Bhabanipur contest has emerged as one of the most closely watched battles, with Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition, positioning himself as the BJP’s principal challenger in a prestige fight against Banerjee.
With several rounds still to be counted, trends are expected to evolve as counting progresses.
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