Counting is under way for the re-poll held in West Bengal’s Palda Assembly constituency, where the BJP candidate is maintaining a commanding lead.
The Election Commission ordered a fresh vote only in Palda after complaints of irregularities. The re-poll was held on May 21, with counting scheduled for May 24.
In the contest, BJP nominee Debangshi Panda has stayed ahead through successive rounds. By the end of the 19th round, Panda had polled 1,37,474 votes, putting him more than one lakh votes in front.
CPI(M) candidate Gurmi was in second place with 38,265 votes. Trinamool Congress nominee Jahangir Khan—who had announced his withdrawal after filing nomination—was third with 5,914 votes.
The BJP had earlier won 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly, while Mamata Banerjee’s party secured 80. A BJP victory in Palda would increase its strength to 208.
