BJP gaining big in Bengal: Leads in 17 seats, Trinamool in 24

Kolkata, May 23 (IANS) The BJP made stunning inroads in Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal, with the trends of the Lok Sabha elections on Thrusday showing that the saffron party was leading in 17 of the 42 seats, up from only two last time.

The Trinamool Congress was ahead in 24 seats, down from 34 which it had won in the last Lok Sabha elections.

Among the prominent BJP candidates leading in the state were Union Ministers Babul Supriyo and S.S. Alhuwalia in Asansol and Burdwan-Durgapur, respectively.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee is leading over his nearest rival Nilanjan Roy of BJP by close to 20,000 votes, according to the latest trends.

In Bongaon Lok Sabha seat, which is dominated by the Dalit Matua community, BJP candidate and late Matua matriarch Binapani Thakur's grandson Shantanu Thakur is leading over his aunt and Trinamool Congress' sitting MP Mamata Bala Thakur.

Several Trinamool stalwarts like state minister Subrata Mukherjee (Bankura) and sitting MP Kalyan Banerjee (Sreerampore) are trailing.

The state, which went to polls in seven phases, witnessed the most bitter electioneering between the TMC and the BJP and was marred by large scale violence.

In the 2014 elections, the TMC had increased its tally by 15 seats over the 2009 poll results by wresting seats from the Left Front.

The BJP this time went all out to make electoral gains in the state, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself holding several rallies.

The party chief Amit Shah also addressed many public meetings besides holding road shows in the state.

The Congress led in one constituency while the Left, which had ruled the state for decades, faced a washout.