Counting for Bengal by-polls begins

Counting of votes for the by-poll in two assembly seats of Basirhat South and Chowringhee in West Bengal began Tuesday morning, an official said.

Counting began at 8 a.m. and as per the initial trends, ruling Trinamool Congress candidates Dipendu Biswas led in the Basirhat South seat and Nayna Bandyopadhyay led in Chowringhee.

The death of CPI-M legislator Narayan Mukherjee necessitated polling in Basirhat South. The Chowringhee by-poll was necessitated by the resignation of Trinamool legislator Sikha Mitra, who won the 2011 election but quit the party.