Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress is set to end the Left Front’s unbroken 34-year rule in West Bengal. The trend was clear within an hour and a half of counting.
Trinamool Congress supporters began celebrating in front of their leader Mamata Banerjee’s home from around 9.30am.
At 10:40 am, Trinamool-Congress combine was leading in at least 201 assembly constituencies, and the Left Front, in 65.
There are 294 assembly constituencies in the state, and going by trend it is clear that the Trinamool Congress is to get clear majority on its own.
At 10 am, key Left Front leaders such as chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, finance minister Asim Dasgupta and commerce and industries minister Nirupam Sen were trailing.
Most notably, the Trinamool Congress-Congress combine appears to have made deep inroads into Left bastions such as Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts.
Left leaders have almost given though until Thursday they seemed confident of winning. One of their key youth leaders Ritabrata Bandyopadhyay said, the Front hadn’t expected a mandate like this.
