TMC bags all three seats in West Bengal By-election

The results for the Assembly bypolls held for three seats in West Bengal and one in Uttarakhand is scheduled to be declared on Thursday.

The counting of votes in three assembly seats in West Bengal began at 8 am today amid tight security in polling centres, Election Commission officials said.

The Assembly bypolls in both the states were held on November 25. In West Bengal -- Karimpur, Kharagpur Sadar and Kaliaganj -- and in Uttarakhand, the Pithoragarh seat went to polls on Monday.

Around 78 per cent of over seven lakh electorate had cast their votes in the by-polls to Kaliaganj, Karimpur and Kharagpur Sadar Assembly seats where 18 candidates were in the fray. Meanwhile, over 47 per cent of the electorate cast their vote in the Pithoragarh assembly bypoll.

Two of the three Assembly constituencies in West Bengal Kharagpur Sadar and Karimpur fell vacant after the Lok Sabha elections in May this year as the sitting MLAs were elected as MPs.

The Pithoragarh bypoll was necessitated after the death of sitting MLA and Cabinet Minister Prakash Pant in June. Prakash Pant's wife Chandra is taking on Congress's Anju Lunthi to retain the seat for BJP. Samajwadi Party's Lalit Mohan Bhatt is the third contestant in the fray.

Here are the LIVE updates on the West Bengal and Uttarakhand Assembly elections:

06.10 pm: In a major boost for the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, the party bagged all the three assembly seats where bypolls were held on November 25 by trouncing the BJP. The TMC won the Kaliaganj, Kharagpur Sadar and Karimpur bypolls. The BJP emerged in the second position in all the three seats.

05.15 pm: Confusion over NRC the reason behind West Bengal bypoll defeat, says BJP candidate

BJP Kaliaganj candidate Kamal Chandra Sarkar said, "We have lost despite having a massive lead in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. We lost as there has been serious confusion over implementation of NRC in Bengal. People didn't accept this narrative over NRC and we too failed to reach out to the masses on this issue. There has to be instrospection".

04.20 pm: "This is not any reflection of what would happen in 2021. Mamata's true colour and face will come out after her mask is removed by the people itself," BJP's Kailas Vijayvarghiye said.

04: 19 pm: "The Election Commission had also said that there will be Central forces on ground but that did not happen at the booth level," Kailas Vijayvarghiye said.

04.16 pm: "If polling is conducted in a proper and unbaised way, then BJP would have won. But, here in Bengal, there was capturing of polling booths," BJP's Kailas Vijayvarghiye said.

04:05 pm: Mamata Banerjee now cannot say EVMs are tampered, said BJP leader Mukul Roy

2:21 pm: BJP wins Pithoragarh assembly seat in Uttarakhand

BJP candidate Chandra Pant defeated Congress leader Anju Lunthi by 3267 votes.

1:20 pm: TMC's Pradip Sarkar wins Kharagpur Sadar assembly by-election by 20,811 votes.

12:50 pm: Politics of arrogance will not work, people have rejected BJP: Mamata Banerjee

12:40 pm: BJP getting paid back for its arrogance: Mamata Banerjee

Dedicating the party's victory in the Kaliaganj assembly seat by-poll to the people of West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that the BJP is getting paid back for its "arrogance" and for "insulting" the people of the state. (- PTI)

12:15 pm: Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidates leading Karimpur and Kharagpur Sadar seats as per official Election Commission (EC) trends.

11:45 am: TMC's Tapan Deb Singha wins Kaliaganj assembly by-election by 2,304 votes

11:42 am: TMC's Pradip Sarkar leads with 13,000 votes in Kharagpur Sadar constituency

Pradip Sarkar of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was leading over his nearest rival Prem Chandra Jha of the BJP by over 13,000 votes in the Kharagpur Sadar seat.

In the Kaliaganj Assembly segment, the saffron party's Kamal Chandra Sarkar was ahead of his nearest rival Tapan Deb Sinha of the TMC by 3,156 votes. (-PTI)

10:15 am: BJP leads in two assembly seats, TMC in one in West Bengal

The BJP gained leads over its rivals in Kharagpur Sadar and Kaliaganj Assembly seats while the ruling TMC was ahead in the Karimpur Assembly segment after the third round of counting of votes for the by-polls in West Bengal, EC officials said on Thursday. (-PTI)

11:40 am: TMC leads in two West Bengal assembly seats, BJP in one

The ruling TMC surged ahead of its rivals in Kharagpur Sadar and Karimpur Assembly segments, while the BJP was ahead in the Kaliaganj Assembly seat after the ninth round of counting of votes for the by-polls in West Bengal, EC officials said on Thursday.

10:00 am: Counting of votes underway in Pithorogarh assembly seat in Uttarakhand

9:45 am: TMC ahead in Karimpur, BJP in Kaliaganj, Congress in Kharagpur Sadar

9: 43 am: West Bengal bypoll trends after 2nd round of counting in Kharagpur
BJP- 7, 676
TMC- 6, 532
Congress- 5, 469

8:56 am: After first round counting in Kharagpur Assembly constituency (West Bengal)
BJP - 3, 304
TMC - 3, 269
Congress - 4, 284

8:54: BJP leading in Kaliyaganj Assembly seat (West Bengal) with 1600 votes

8:28 am: Counting begins in 3 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal

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