The official results for the high-stakes assembly elections held in four states and one Union Territory are almost out now for the majority of the constituencies and barring West Bengal, the predictions of exit polls remained more or less close to the actual results and trends in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.
As per the Election Commission of India's website on Monday (May 3, 2021) morning, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) has retained power in West Bengal for the third consecutive time, whereas, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) headed by Pinarayi Vijayan has made the first re-election in 44 years. In Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has dethroned incumbent Edappadi K Palaniswami's All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), while the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliances (BJP) have won in Assam and Puducherry.
TMC retains West Bengal again
The battleground of West Bengal was considered to be the most important one and as the exit polls suggested, people were expecting a close fight between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. However, Mamata Banerjee showed why she is one of the indomitable fighters. According to the results, the Trinamool Congress won 213, two seats more than that it won in 2016 in the 292 member assembly. The Bharatiya Janata Party which did intense campaigning considering its overwhelming result in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, was restricted to 77 seats.
Mamata defeated in Nandigram
Nandigram produced an epic poll confrontation as Mamata Banerjee and former aide Suvendu Adhikari engaged in an attritional contest that went down to the wire, with both candidates alternatively leading and trailing through each round of counting. Finally Adhikari tweeted from his official handle that he had won by a margin of 1,736 votes after the17th and final round of counting. The TMC agent immediately demanded a recount, which the returning officer turned down. Later Mamata hinted said she may challenge the result.
LDF makes remarkable comeback
Pinarayi Vijayan's Left Democratic Front has scripted history by winning the Kerala Assembly election 2021. The LDF broke Kerala's record of voting out every incumbent government for the past four decades and made the first re-election in over 44 years. In the 140-member Assembly, the LDF's final tally was the Communist Party of India-Marxist 62, the Communist Party of India 17, the Kerala Congress-Mani five, the Janata Dal-Secular and the Nationalist Congress Party two each and the Loktantrik Janta Dal, the Indian National League, Congress-Secular, the Revolutionary Socialist Party-L and Kerala Congress-B one each.
DMK wins Tamil Nadu
MK Stalin's DMK alliance has won 156 seats in the 234-member assembly. AIADMK alliance took 78 seats. BJP is part of the alliance. Congress, CPI and CPI (M) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) were part of DMK alliance.
Lotus blooms in Assam and Puducherry
In Assam, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance won 75 seats of the total 126 assembly constituencies. As per the official result, the saffron party bagged 60 seats, while allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party, Liberal (UPPL) bagged nine and six seats respectively. Congress could get only 25 seats and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) won 16 seats.
On the other hand, in Puducherry, the NR Congress, BJP and AIADMK alliance emerged victorious in the 30-seat assembly. The All India NR Congress secured 10 seats, while the BJP won six. Congress managed to get two seats, while DMK secured six seats and the independent candidates bagged six seats.
