As counting for the West Bengal Assembly elections got underway, Special Electoral Roll Observer Subrata Gupta on Monday said that no victory rallies will be permitted during the process.“Every complaint has been addressed. Some of the CCTV cameras malfunctioned for 5–10 minutes due to technical reasons… No victory rally can be held today,” Gupta said.Early trends indicated a tight contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), with both parties hovering around similar lead figures. However, the Election Commission is yet to release official numbers.Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was seen holding a narrow edge over the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)-led alliance in early trends. In Assam, the BJP-led NDA surged ahead with a significant lead over the Congress-led bloc.Back in West Bengal, BJP candidate Arjun Singh from Noapara alleged irregularities at a counting centre, claiming he and his agent were denied entry even as announcements were made about opening the strong room. He termed it a possible attempt at malpractice and said a formal complaint would be lodged.Security remained tight across the state, with patrols, including armoured vehicles, deployed in sensitive areas such as Malda. Counting procedures also began smoothly in southern states including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.