Counting of votes polled in the West Bengal assembly elections began at 8 am on Sunday under tight security and strict adherence to safety protocols, amid a raging second wave of COVID-19.

Exit polls have forecast a tight contest between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP in the eight-phase elections to the 294-member assembly.

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The counting will decide the electoral fate of 2,116 candidates including nominees of the Left-Congress-Indian Secular Front alliance.

The exercise is underway in 108 counting centres spread across the 23 districts of the state, where a three- tier security arrangement has been put in place.

Here are the live updates of West Bengal Assembly elections:

11:00 AM:-

• As per the trends posted by the Election Commission at 11:13 AM, All India Trinamool Congress is leading in 166 seats, and BJP is leading in 83 seats.
• West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is trailing in key battleround seat of Nandigram.
• TMC’s Aroop Biswas leading from Tollyganj, BJP’s Babul Supriyo trailing.
• TMC’s Madan Mitra is leading from Kamarhati.
• TMC’s Firhad Hakim leading from Kolkata Port.

12:23 PM

• As per the trends posted by the Election Commission, TMC is leading in 202 seats while BJP is leading in 77 seats
• TMC’s Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay leading from Bhabanipur constituency.
• Suvendu Adhikari, BJP candidate from Nandigram continues to lead from the Assembly constituency.

13:44 PM

• After the fourth round of counting, Mamata Banerjee Banerjee is trailing behind her one-time aide Adhikari in Nandigram in East Midnapore district by a margin of 3,710 votes.
• PWD Minister Arup Biswas is leading from the Tollygunge Assembly constituency over his BJP rival Babul Supriyo.
• Education Minister Partha Chatterjee is also leading from the Behala West Constituency
• Javed Ahmed Khan has taken a lead of more than 47,000 votes over his Left Front rival Shatarup Ghosh.
• Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee is leading from the Ballygunge constituency, IT Minister Bratya Basu is leading from Dum Dum in North 24 Parganas, Urban Development Minister and former Mayor Firhad Hakim is leading from Kolkata Port constituency, Food Minister Jyotipriaya Mullick is leading from Habra, while Minister of State for Women and Child Health Shashi Panja in leading from the Jorasanko constituency in North Kolkata.
• BJP’s Nisith Pramanik is leading against Trinamool heavyweight Udyayan Guha from the Dinhata Assembly constituency in Cooch Behar district.
• Heavyweight BJP candidates like Swapan Dasgupta, Locket Chatterjee, Biashali Dalmia, Rahul Sinha, Babul Supriyo and Samik Bhattacharya are all trailing in their respective constituencies.

15:57 PM

As per the current election trends, All India Trinamool Congress is leading in 203 seats, and BJP is leading in 81 seats.

17:27 PM

• As per the current election trends, All India Trinamool Congress is leading in 209 seats, and BJP is leading in 78 seats,. The former has already won two seats.
• West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee wins Nandigram constituency by 1200 votes, defeating BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari

18:53 PM

•  As per EC trends Trinamool Congress is now leading in 199 seats and has won 13 seats. Meanwhile, BJP is leading in 76 seats and as won 2 seats
• Mamata Banerjee is likely to return as the Chief Minister of the state for the third time.

Polling to 292 assembly seats was held in eight phases from March 27 to April 29. Voting in Shamsherganj and Jangipur seats in Murshidabad district was postponed due to the death of some candidates.

Polling in these two seats will now be held on May 16 and votes counted on May 19.

In view of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the state, the Election Commission has decided to place tables at the counting halls in such a way that social distancing norms are maintained. All the EVMs and VVPATs at the counting centres will be sanitised before the commencement of the process.

Of the state’s 294 assembly constituencies, the most keenly watched will be Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district where Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is contesting her protege-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP.