The Trinamool Congress' request for recount of votes in Nandigram constituency, where Mamata Banerjee has lost to BJP's Suvendu Adhikari by 1,736 votes, has been rejected by the Election Commission.
The Trinamool Congress had declared the counting process "fishy". Ms Banerjee had alleged "malpractices" and said she would approach the courts.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress is headed for a landslide victory in Bengal. The Trinamool won or was leading in 210 seats, while the BJP won or was leading in 80 as of 11:45 pm. However, for the most part of early trends, both parties were neck and neck.
"Let the Nandigram people give whatever verdict they want, I accept that. Nandigram was a sacrifice that was needed in the larger victory. We have won the state," said the Chief Minister.
The assembly election was spread over eight rounds of polling for a month amid the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The election saw a fierce contest between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
Both parties deployed their star candidates in the campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah led the BJP campaign in Bengal, while Ms Banerjee was the main force for the Trinamool Congress during the campaigning phase.
