Results of the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) for admission into engineering and architecture courses were announced on Friday, and 96,913 candidates were declared successful.

Md Sahil Akhtar and Soham Das of Delhi Public School Ruby Park bagged the first and the second ranks, respectively, while Sara Mukherjee of Bankura Banga Vidyalaya secured the third rank, WBJEE Board chairman Malayendu Saha said.

A total of 1,24,919 candidates had enrolled for the examination, while 97,524 appeared in it and 96,913 qualified, he said, adding that the success rate was 99.4 per cent.

Of the candidates who qualified, 69,560 were from West Bengal, Saha said.

The exams were held on April 30, across 303 centres in the state, and three venues in Northeast India.

The examinations were held for Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.

Akhtar, who bagged the top spot, told reporters that he used to study six-seven hours daily as part of his preparation.

He said that he wants to pursue Computer Science Engineering.

Congratulating the candidates, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was extremely happy that 53 per cent of the successful students were from the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education.

"This year, 27.5 per cent of the successful candidates are women. Your excellent performance has made us proud," she said.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.