West Bengal by-elections: Trinamool Congress ahead of BJP

Trinamool Congress is leading in Chowringhee and Basirhat Dakhin Assembly seats of West Bengal, where by-polls were held on September 13.

Trinamool's Nayana Bandyopadhyay, wife of Sudip Bandyopadhyay, leader of the Trinamool Congress parliamentary party, was ahead of Ritesh Tiwary, BJP state secretary and spokesman, by 1000 votes in the prestigious Chowringhee seat in the heart of the city after the first round of counting.

The seat was won by Sikha Mitra of Trinamool Congress in the 2011 Assembly elections. The by-election was necessitated after the resignation of Mitra from the TMC.

Former Indian soccer captain Dipendu Biswas of Trinamool Congress is leading over BJP's Samik Bhattacharya in Basirhat Dakhin seat by 2285 votes after the first round. The seat was won by CPI(M)'s Narayan Mukhopadhyay in 2011. The by-election was caused due to his death.

The fate of 14 candidates would be decided today - nine in the Chowringhee constituency and five in Basirhat Dakshin in North 24-Parganas district which borders Bangladesh. The TMC, BJP, Congress and CPI(M) have fielded their candidates in both the seats.