The counting of votes for six Assembly constituencies in West Bengal, where by-polls were held last week, is scheduled for Saturday, with the election results drawing significant attention due to the ongoing protests over the RG Kar incident.

The constituencies up for grabs are Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, Taldangra, Sitai (SC), and Madarihat (ST).

The counting of votes would begin at 8 AM on Saturday.

The by-polls on November 13 saw a voter turnout of around 69.29 per cent.

However, the election process was marred by sporadic incidents of violence, including a crude bomb attack in Bhatpara, near the Naihati Assembly constituency, which claimed the life of a local TMC worker.

The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements to ensure smooth counting of votes.

Five of these seats are located in the TMC's stronghold in south Bengal, while Madarihat, won by the BJP in 2021, remains a saffron bastion in the north.

The by-elections were needed following the resignations of MLAs who had won the seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, leaving the constituencies vacant.

The TMC, which had won five of these seats in the 2021 Assembly elections, is hoping to retain control.

However, the tragic RG Kar incident, involving the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at the state-run hospital in Kolkata, has sparked widespread protests across the state.

The ongoing agitation, led by junior doctors demanding justice for the deceased and systemic reforms, has created a political climate that the opposition BJP and the Left Front hope would impact the outcome of these by-polls.

The BJP, leveraging the public outrage over the incident, is optimistic about increasing its seat count.

BJP leaders are confident of retaining Madarihat and securing victories in the other five constituencies, claiming the RG Kar tragedy has exposed flaws in the state's healthcare system and eroded confidence in the TMC government.

The Left Front, contesting separately from Congress for the first time since 2021, sees this by-poll as a chance to test its relevance amid discontent with TMC and BJP.

The Congress, under its new state chief Suvankar Sarkar, fielded candidates in all six constituencies.

The by-poll results will be a test for the TMC, which performed strongly in the recent Lok Sabha elections, securing 29 out of 42 parliamentary seats in the state.

The counting of votes tomorrow will reveal whether the TMC has maintained its stronghold or if opposition sentiment, fuelled by the RG Kar incident, has shifted voter support in the by-polls.

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