Mamata Banerjee's All India Trinamool Congress was heading towards serious reverses in West Bengal as the ruling Left Front established leads in 33 out of 39 seats, counting for which was taken up on Thursday morning.
The early trends showed major gains for the CPI(M) led Left Front mainly at the expense of National Democratic Alliance partners, Bharatiya Janata Party and Trinamool, as the Congress also seemed to be gaining in the state by establishing leads in five seats.
Banerjee was the only NTC candidate to have established a lead of more than 100,000 in the Kolkata South constituency but rest of the NTC candidates were trailing across the state.
NTC candidates were earlier leading in Barasat and Nabadwip, but as per latest trends the CPI(M) was now leading in the two seats. NTC had won eight seats in the previous Lok Sabha.
Both the BJP sitting MPs and Union ministers, Tapan Sikdar and Satyabrata Mukherjee, were trailing behind their CPI(M) rivals in Dum Dum and Krishnagar constituencies.
The early trends indicate LF increasing its strength in the state as they had 29 seats in the previous Lok Sabha seats. Counting for three seats -- Calcutta North-east, Diamond
Harbour and Murshidabad -- was taken up after 1400 hrs after repolling. Two of these seats were held by CPI(M).
West Bengal Pradesh Congress chief Pranab Mukherjee, contesting after a gap of 24 years was leading in Jangipur. Congress was also leading in Darjeeling.
