Online Desk  

Vote counting in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Election began with a closely fought contest between the ruling All India Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee and the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, as counting progressed, the BJP gradually moved ahead.

Counting of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) votes and postal ballots started at around 8:30 am local time on Monday. In the early trends, the BJP was leading in 40 seats while the Trinamool Congress was ahead in 39 seats.

As the day progressed, the BJP widened its lead to 71 seats, while the Trinamool Congress was leading in 47 constituencies.

Extra security measures have been deployed at various counting centres amid the vote counting process. Large gatherings of party leaders, activists, and supporters were seen in Kolkata and several other areas since morning.

According to Indian media reports, the overall election trend may become clearer by midday, although final results in some constituencies could take until night to be confirmed.