West BengalChief MinisterMamata Banerjee, ahead of the May 4 counting day, on Saturday once again claimed that her partyTrinamool Congress(TMC) will win 200 plus seats in the Assembly elections. Boosting cadres and voting agents’ confidence ahead of the counting, especially after the majority of exit polls showed BJP ahead, Mamata said that they will secure over 200 of the 294 assembly seats. She also asked party workers that they should regularly update the leadership about the prevailing situation at counting centres and must remain there till the end of the exercise. Bengal elections were held in two phases -- on April 23 and April 29.

Ahead of the counting, Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee held a virtual meeting with counting agents of 291 assembly seats on Saturday.

During the meeting, the CM asserted that the “TMC will at least win 200-plus seats if not more”, also asked counting agents not to give importance to the "propaganda and campaign by the BJP and its allies" about the number of seats they would secure.

She said that the TMC will stand beside counting agents who had been allegedly assaulted by central forces during voting or campaigning.

“Do not give importance to the numerous exit polls telecast on TV channels and the social media,” she told the agents, according to a senior TMC leader.

“Such exit polls have no value. The 2021 and 2024 exit polls were way off the mark. I think most such polls are meant to influence the share market,” the TMC supremo said.

Mamata Banerjee directed cadres that in case of any TMC candidate losing a seat by “a margin of 200-300 votes”, the counting agents must insist on recounting.

“No one should leave the counting centres till the process is over,” the chief minister said.

Abhishek Banerjee, who also interacted with the counting agents virtually, asked them to insist on recounting, particularly for postal ballots, in case of defeat of TMC nominees by a narrow margin.

"All unusual activities inside counting centres, like the sudden power outage at the Nandigram counting centre in 2021, must be immediately reported to the party's top brass," he said.

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