The counting of votes for India's Lok Sabha elections has commenced, with postal votes being tallied first, followed by the counting of EVM votes. Early trends indicate a lead for the ruling BJP coalition, though the Congress is showing signs of increasing its seat count.

In West Bengal, as of 11:00 am, the initial trends show a competitive race between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP. The TMC is leading in 15 out of the 42 seats, while the BJP is ahead in 20 seats. Additionally, the Left Front is leading in one seat and Congress in two seats.

Purulia: BJP's Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato is leading.

Ranaghat: BJP's Jagannath Sarkar is ahead.

Tamlu: BJP's Abhijit Gangopadhyay is leading.

Baharampur: Trinamool's Yusuf Pathan is trailing.

Jadavpur: Trinamool's Saini Ghosh is ahead, with CPM's Srijan Bhattacharya and BJP's Anirban Gangopadhyay following.

Murshidabad: Left candidate Mohammad Salim is leading.

Baharampur: Congress candidate Adhir Chowdhury is ahead.

Krishnanagar: BJP candidate Amrita Roy is leading.

Diamond Harbour: Trinamool candidate Abhishek Banerjee is leading.

Kolkata North Center: Trinamool candidate Sudeep Banerjee is ahead.

Basirhat: BJP candidate Rekha Patra is trailing.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 18 seats in West Bengal, while the TMC secured 22 seats. Congress managed to win only two seats, and the Left did not secure any seats. This election cycle sees a potential shift as early trends show a strong BJP performance, causing concern for TMC leader Mamata Banerjee.

Nationally, the BJP-led coalition is maintaining an early lead. However, Congress is showing an upward trend in seat counts, suggesting a more competitive election than previously anticipated.

The final results will reveal the extent of any political shifts within India and set the stage for