'Everything is being portrayed incorrectly': As trends showed the BJP leading, Mamata Banerjee raised questions about the electoral process.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged irregularities during the vote-counting process for the 2026 Assembly elections.

As soon as the Election Commission began releasing vote-counting estimates, she claimed that counting had been halted in several locations and accused both the Election Commission of India and the central forces of adopting a biased attitude.

'Our Victory Will Come After Sunset'

Just as early trends showed the BJP crossing the majority mark in the 294-member Assembly, the Chief Minister appealed to her party's counting agents—in a self-recorded video—not to leave the counting centers. She stated, "Do not lose heart; our victory will come after sunset."

Mamata Banerjee alleged, "We are leading in over 100 seats, which is not being reported. Everything is being misreported. The Election Commission is acting completely arbitrarily, and the central forces are siding with them. Even the police are working in collusion with the central forces."

'This Is a BJP Conspiracy'

She further alleged that vote counting had been halted in several places as a ploy to benefit the BJP. Mamata Banerjee said, "Counting agents and candidates must not leave the counting centers. This is a BJP conspiracy. I have been saying since yesterday that they would initially show [the BJP] in the lead. They have stopped counting in several places. Machines have been found in Kalyani, where there is a mismatch in the data. The TMC is being subjected to oppression from all sides through the central forces."

The trends suggest that the Trinamool Congress may face defeat in the state, and Mamata Banerjee's dream of returning to power for a fourth consecutive term could be shattered. According to the Election Commission's trends, the BJP was leading in 187 seats, while the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress was ahead in 92 seats.

What was the voter turnout percentage? Meanwhile, as soon as the BJP secured a clear majority, party workers raised "Jai Shri Ram" slogans outside the residence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata. The second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections recorded a voter turnout of 91.66%—the highest since independence. Voter participation in the first phase stood at 93.19%, bringing the overall voter turnout percentage to 92.47%.

What were the results in 2021?

In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress received a decisive mandate. It won 213 out of 294 seats, securing a vote share of approximately 48 percent. Conversely, the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the principal opposition party with 77 seats and roughly 38 percent of the votes—a significant increase over its previous seat tally. The Left-Congress alliance failed to win a single seat.