West Bengal: BJP making inroads by leading on 17 seats, TMC ahead on 24

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 23 (ANI): BJP is making inroads in West Bengal by leading on 17 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats, according to Election Commission trends.
Trinamool Congress of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is ahead on 24 seats, the trends showed.
Congress is leading on one seat.
In the 2014 general elections, BJP had won only two parliamentary constituencies, while TMC garnered 34 seats.
Union Minister Babul Supriyo is ahead of actress-turned-politician Moon Moon Sen in Asansol Lok Sabha constituency by a margin of over 45,000 votes.
Sitting MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Congress is leading by over 8,000 votes in Baharampur seat against TMC's Apurba Sarkar.
The Election Commission had curtailed campaigning by a day ahead of the May 19 elections in nine constituencies in the state after violence marred BJP president Amit Shah's roadshow in Kolkata on May 14. A bust of iconic social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was vandalised at a college named after him.
West Bengal went to polls in all seven phases from April 11 to May 19.
During the campaigning, Chief Minister Banerjee had repeatedly attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him as "expiry babu" and "liar."
BJP had hit back at Banerjee, accusing her of "murdering" democracy in the state. The Prime Minister had dubbed the TMC supremo "speed breaker didi" for allegedly stalling development.
Both BJP and TMC had traded allegations against each other for inciting violence.
The counting of votes in 542 Lok Sabha constituencies began at 8 am today amidst tight security, capping a two-month long election process which witnessed high-octane campaigning and charges of EVM tampering and violations of the Model Code of Conduct.
According to EC trends, BJP is leading on 292 seats, while Congress is leading on 51 seats. (ANI)