Counting of votes has started for elections held in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry in March-April amid a devastating Covid-19 surge that has overwhelmed the country's health care system. Very early leads show gain for BJP in Bengal. Whether Mamata Banerjee will retain Bengal against an aggressive challenge from the BJP will be the big takeaway from the results. The Chief Minister's Trinamool and the BJP ran a bitter, no holds barred campaign that defied Covid-19 safety rules as well as the poll code. The most-watched fight in Bengal will be for Nandigram, where the Chief Minister faces off against the BJP's Suvendhu Adhikari, her ex-aide whose December defection triggered a flood of exits.