Kolkata, May 4 (IANS) After the first hour of counting of votes for the two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal on Monday, the trend is showing a neck-and-neck battle between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the BJP slightly ahead of Trinamool Congress.

As of 9 a.m., the trend for 134 of 293 Assembly constituencies in the state was available.

After the first hour of counting, the tally for the BJP’s initial lead was 73, followed by the Trinamool Congress’ 59. Congress candidates were leading in two seats, while the CPI(M)-led Left Front candidates were not able to get a lead in a single seat.

While the Assembly seats where the Trinamool Congress candidates are leading are mainly concentrated in the South Bengal districts, the Assembly constituencies where the BJP candidates are mainly in the North Bengal districts and also in some South Bengal districts.

What is surprising is that BJP candidates are leading in a number of seats in the minority-dominated Malda district.

Till 9 a.m., the trend is not available for Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in South Kolkata, where the high-profile contest this time is between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari.

However, Adhikari is leading at his native Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district, where he is contesting simultaneously this time along with Bhabanipur.

The two Assembly constituencies where the Congress candidates are leading are both in the Malda district. Former Congress Lok Sabha member and also former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member, Mausam Benazir Noor, who returned to Congress before the Assembly polls, is leading from Malatipur Assembly constituency in Malda district.

The prominent BJP leaders, who are leading now, are Dilip Gosh, the party's former national vice-president, and candidate in Kharagpur (Sadar) Assembly constituency in West Midnapore district and journalist-turned-politician Jagannath Chattopadhyay, among others.

There will be a minimum of ten rounds and a maximum of 26 in terms of counting rounds based on the constituency-wise number of voters.

--IANS

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