ECI bars Abhishek Banerjee from Kolkata counting centre amid Bengal vote count
Synopsis
The ECI barred TMC's Abhishek Banerjee from the Hastings counting centre in Kolkata as counting began for West Bengal's 293 Assembly seats. Separately, both CM Mamata Banerjee and LoP Suvendu Adhikari entered the Bhabanipur counting premises with mobile phones, prompting an ECI directive. BJP leads in 186 seats; several TMC cabinet ministers are trailing.
Key Takeaways
The ECI barred Abhishek Banerjee from the counting centre at Hastings, South Kolkata on 4 May as he is not a candidate in the West Bengal polls.
CM Mamata Banerjee and LoP Suvendu Adhikari entered the Bhabanipur counting premises with mobile phones; ECI directed officials to seize or remove them.
BJP had won 11 seats and was leading in 186 of 293 constituencies as per early ECI trends.
TMC had won 2 seats and was leading in 88 constituencies.
Several TMC cabinet ministers including Chandrima Bhattacharya , Dr Sashi Panja , Sujit Bose , and Bratya Basu were trailing in early trends.
Mamata Banerjee was ahead at Bhabanipur ; Suvendu Adhikari was leading at Nandigram .
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday, 4 May barred Abhishek Banerjee, All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary and Lok Sabha member, from entering the counting centre at Hastings in South Kolkata, citing that he is not a candidate in the recently concluded two-phase West Bengal Assembly elections. The move came as vote counting for 293 Assembly constituencies was underway across the state.
How the Incident Unfolded
Abhishek Banerjee arrived at the Hastings counting centre accompanied by his security team. An instruction was promptly issued by the ECI to the returning officers and counting observers on the ground, prohibiting his entry into the premises. An official from the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office confirmed the directive.
This is a clear application of standard ECI protocol, which restricts entry into counting centres to candidates, their authorised agents, and designated officials — a rule that applies uniformly regardless of a visitor's political stature.
Mobile Phone Controversy at Bhabanipur
A separate incident unfolded at Shakhawat Memorial Government Girls School in South Kolkata, where counting for the high-profile Bhabanipur Assembly constituency was ongoing. Both Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari — the two contesting candidates at Bhabanipur — entered the counting premises carrying their mobile phones, in apparent violation of ECI guidelines.
Returning officers and counting observers immediately flagged the matter to the CEO's office in Kolkata, which in turn escalated it to the ECI's headquarters in New Delhi. The ECI subsequently directed officials to either ask both leaders to keep their phones outside the counting centre or to seize them.
West Bengal Election Count: Key Trends
According to the latest trends provided by the ECI, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won 11 seats and was comfortably ahead in 186 of the 293 constituencies where counting was underway. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) had won two seats and was leading in 88 constituencies. The Indian National Congress (Congress) was leading in two seats, while the Left Front–All India Secular Front (AISF) alliance was ahead in two seats.
At Bhabanipur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was ahead in the count, while at Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari was leading — a closely watched contest given its political significance.
Cabinet Ministers Trailing
Several heavyweight members of the Mamata Banerjee-led cabinet were trailing as per early trends. These include Minister of State for Finance (Independent Charge) Chandrima Bhattacharya, State Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Minister Dr Sashi Panja, State Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose, and State Education Minister Bratya Basu, among others.
The final results are expected to determine whether TMC retains its dominance in West Bengal or whether BJP's aggressive campaign translates into a historic change of guard in the state.
Point of View
A posture it has struggled to maintain consistently in past high-stakes elections. More telling is the mobile phone episode at Bhabanipur: that both the Chief Minister and the Leader of Opposition entered a counting centre with phones unchallenged until observers flagged it suggests ground-level enforcement remains uneven. With BJP leading in 186 seats and several TMC ministers trailing, the results could reshape West Bengal's political landscape in ways that neither the ruling party nor the opposition fully anticipated.
NationPress
2 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the ECI bar Abhishek Banerjee from the counting centre?
The ECI barred Abhishek Banerjee from the Hastings counting centre in South Kolkata because he is not a candidate in the West Bengal Assembly elections. ECI rules restrict entry to counting centres to candidates, their authorised agents, and designated officials only.
What happened with mobile phones at the Bhabanipur counting centre?
Both Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari entered the Bhabanipur counting premises at Shakhawat Memorial Government Girls School with their mobile phones. The ECI, after being alerted by returning officers, directed officials to ask them to keep the phones outside or seize them.
What are the early vote count trends in West Bengal?
According to ECI trends, BJP had won 11 seats and was leading in 186 of 293 constituencies. TMC had won 2 seats and was leading in 88, while Congress and the Left Front–AISF alliance were each leading in 2 seats.
How are Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari faring in their respective constituencies?
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was ahead in Bhabanipur, while Suvendu Adhikari was leading in Nandigram, according to early ECI counting trends.
Which TMC cabinet ministers were trailing in the West Bengal count?
Several senior TMC ministers were trailing in early trends, including Chandrima Bhattacharya, Dr Sashi Panja, Sujit Bose, and Bratya Basu, according to ECI data.
