Nadia (West Bengal) [India], May 4 (ANI): As early trends for the West Bengal Assembly elections began to pour in, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Jagannath Sarkar expressed confidence in his party's performance, claiming that 'Bengal now belongs to the BJP,' as the saffron wave sweeps across the state.

Speaking to ANI, Sarkar said, 'This is Chaitanya's birthplace. He was born to protect dharma... So from here to South Kolkata, every place is witnessing the saffron wave... Bengal now belongs to the BJP.'

Earlier today, a sea of saffron took over the streets of Bhabanipur as BJP workers broke into early celebrations, distributing 'laddoos' and chanting slogans after the party surged past the magic figure in the West Bengal polls.

With the latest trends indicating a defeat for the ruling TMC, the atmosphere outside the counting station turned electric, signalling a massive political shift in the state after 15 years.

In Bhabanipur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was leading over BJP's Suvendu Adhikari by a margin of 8482 votes after four of 20 rounds of counting, according to Election Commission of India (ECI) trends.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was leading in 188 seats, while the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) was ahead in 94 constituencies. Humayun Kabir's Aam Janata Unnayan party was leading in two seats.

The counting process is still underway, with final results yet to be officially declared by the Election Commission.

BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari, contesting from Nandigram and Bhabanipur, said, 'The BJP will form the government with more than 180 seats.'

West Bengal recorded the highest-ever voter turnout since independence with an impressive 91.66% polling in Phase-ll of the Assembly elections. In phase I, the poll participation was 93.19%, taking the combined poll percentage to 92.47%.

In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election, the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee secured a decisive mandate, winning 213 out of 294 seats with a vote share of around 48 per cent, while the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the principal opposition with 77 seats and roughly 38 per cent votes, marking a sharp rise from its previous tally. The Left-Congress alliance failed to win any seats. (ANI)