NEW DELHI: Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress retained the power in West Bengal, upsetting the pollsters who predicted a neck-and-neck contest with the BJP, as it won 216 seats of the 292 seats in the counting of votes for Assembly elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party was at the distant second by winning 74 seats.
The Left parties, which have once ruled the state for 35 years, and Indian National Congress failed to open their account. In another significant development, Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, in alliance with Congress, will replace the 10-year-old rule of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, as it won 156 seats, out of the total 234 seats. The AIADMK won 78 seats.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala has created a history as it will be the first to retain power in the coastal state which has an odd history of changing goalpost every five years. The LDF won 99 seats,while the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front bagged 41 seats. The BJP failed to open its account. In Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal-led NDA retained the northeast state as it won 75 seats.
The opposition UPA bagged 50 seats of the total 125. All India N R Congress-led BJP alliance in Puducherry won 15 seats, while Congress bagged seven seats. The Congress recently lost the majority in the Territorial Assembly as several MLAs resigned. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, DMK chief MK Stakin, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for their victories.
In the battle of prestige in Nandigram, Banerjee lost and BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari was declared winner, post which the TMC has demanded a recounting of votes. The TMC said that counting for Nandigram is not complete and the EC announced the results without counting the last round. Banerjee addressing a press conference termed the results as “victory of democracy”. She said the swearing-in ceremony will be a low-key event in view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation.
In Kerala, Shafi Parambil United Democratic Front (UDF)’s incumbent Shafi Parambil won Palakkad, defeating ‘Metroman’ Sreedharan of BJP who was also the chief minister candidate. The Opposition parties were quick to congratulate Mamata Banerjee. Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Nationalist Congress Party head Sharad Pawar wrote congratulatory messages on Twitter.
However, despite the strict warning from the Election Commission of India of no victory processions or gatherings in view of the virulent second wave of Covid-19, celebrations were seen in some parts of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
