Team News Riveting
Kolkata, October 3
Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Mamata Banerjee has taken a massive lead of over 45,000 votes at the end of Round 17 of counting in the Bhabanipur assembly constituency.
The polling for the byelections in the constituency along with two others were held on September 30. The counting of votes started on Sunday amidst high security.
Around 12 noon, Mamata had got 52,278 against her nearest rival, the BJP’s Priyanka Tibrewal, who had earned 15,821. The CPM candidate, Srijib Biswas, had got 1,829 votes till then.
After round 17 of counting of votes at around 1.30 pm, Mamata Banerjee was leading by 45,738 votes. She polled 67,620 votes while Priyanka bagged 21,882 votes. Interestingly, the candidate of CPM that ruled Bengal for decades is struggling to cross the five-figure mark.
Counting for the Bhowanipore Assembly seat, along with two other constituencies of Bengal – Shamsherganj and Jangipur – began on Sunday morning amid tight security with focus on Mamata’s contest, which she must win to stay on as chief minister for a third consecutive term. The TMC candidates were also leading in other two constituencies.
The victory of the Chief Minister in Bhabanipur was evident but eyes were set over the lead with which she would come back after facing humiliating defeat in Nandigram in May this year. Unlike in 2011, when just about 44 per cent of the Bhowanipore voters had queued outside the booths, September 30 saw more than 57 per cent turn out, which observers claim improves the chances of her increasing the margin.
Mamata’s winning margin in 2016 was around 25,000. A victory with a huge margin in the by-elections will definitely be political respite for the Chief Minister, running for her third term.
