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In a huge shock in early trends, Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is trailing in her traditional vote-rich Bhabanipur seat against the BJP leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari in the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026 counting.

Bhabanipur has been a historic seat of Mamata, who has won it many times, including a 2021 by-election. It is this direct confrontation with her former companion-turned-competitor that has become one of the most viewed Sparkle fights of these elections.

Today, under high security and videography measures, strong rooms were opened to commence counting of the EVMs, with a heavy presence of observers and party agents. The trends are turning by the day, yet few initial leads have given the BJP camp reason to rejoice, whereas TMC workers are holding onto some of the leads that may have occurred in the 2019 general elections.

The result in Bhabanipur may have some broader implications on the political scenario on the ground at large later in the day as the result awaits.