Kolkata, May 4 (IANS) Several workers and volunteers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gathered outside the residence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Monday, raising slogans in support of thee party for the stupendous show, even as early vote counting trends signaled at a decisive shift in state’s electoral history.

A group of people, purportedly belonging to BJP celebrated party’s spectacular show in the elections by engaging in sloganeering outside outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resident in the capital. In the video, going viral on social media, hundreds of BJP supporters were seen celebrating on the streets near the Chief Minister’s residence in the Kalighat area, raising slogans like ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘BJP Zindabad’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. Police later intervened and dispersed the crowd to maintain order.

The development came as the BJP was ahead in 194 seats, according to trends released by the Election Commission of India as of 1:50 p.m., maintaining a margin of 102 seats over the Trinamool Congress, which was leading in 92 constituencies.

In Kharagpur in Paschim Medinipur district also, the BJP workers and supporters celebrated the party’s early lead, which led to confrontations with Trinamool Congress supporters, who raised ‘Jai Bangla’ slogans in response.

Police personnel were deployed in the area and acted swiftly to disperse both groups, ensuring that law and order were maintained amid the heightened political atmosphere.

Meanwhile, CM Mamata Banerjee released a video message as the counting of votes was underway, claiming that “ultimately Trinamool Congress will have the last laugh”.

She posted the message on her social media handle X at around 12.30 p.m., when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates were leading in over 190 seats.

The Trinamool supremo also issued an appeal to all her party candidates and counting agents not to leave the counting centres till the end.

“This is the BJP’s plan. This I have been saying since Sunday. In the initial rounds, it will be shown that the BJP candidates are ahead in a majority of the assembly constituencies. I heard that in almost 100 Assembly constituencies, they have stopped counting after the first two to three rounds,” the Chief Minister said in the video message.

–IANS

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