Mamata Banerjee left the counting centre at Sakhawat Memorial school at 7.30pm. She alleged she had been kicked inside the premises.

By 9.30pm, the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari had won the Bhabanipur seat by over 15,000 votes after 20 rounds of counting.

Residents of the constituency said they had expected a neck-and-neck contest in both Bhabanipur and Bengal, and were “surprised” by the way the results unfolded. “It seems Mamata did not lead in most of the wards that make up the constituency. Core Bhabanipur did not vote for her,” said a resident of Bakul Bagan.

The day had begun with Mamata, the Trinamool’s candidate, leading by a few thousand votes. Her rival, once her party colleague, Suvendu, did not appear perturbed.

“Thanks to Sanatani Hindu voters. The Hindu EVMs belong to the BJP. The Muslim EVMs belong to Trinamool, but the consolidation did not happen like before. The BJP will form the government,” Suvendu said around 11am, when only the first few rounds had been counted.

“There will be a contest in Bhabanipur initially. The early booths are Muslim-dominated. There is a crack in Muslim votes as well. I will start leading from the ninth or tenth round. There is anti-incumbency and Hindu consolidation,” he added.

The counting process was marked by interruptions. Both heavyweight candidates were present inside Sakhawat school from the afternoon. Sources said both had entered the counting hall with mobile phones. Carrying phones inside is not permitted, and the Election Commission officials confiscated the devices of both Mamata and Suvendu.

For more than an hour in the late afternoon, there were no updates from Bhabanipur. Sources from both parties said counting had been halted at that time, with Mamata still in the lead.

There were conflicting claims about why the counting stopped. The EC did not issue any statement to clarify the situation.

When counting resumed, Mamata’s lead narrowed with each successive round. She began trailing Suvendu from the 16th round. At the end of that round, she was behind by 554 votes.

When she left the counting centre at 7.30pm, Mamata alleged “vote loot”.

“More than 100 seats have been looted. I was kicked. Do you think this is winning? It is an immoral victory,” she said, as women personnel from the central forces formed a security ring around her.

“I have complained to the DEO (district election officer) and the CEO (chief electoral officer). They are not doing anything. There was SIR, there were atrocities. It is loot, loot, loot,” she said.

Before leaving, she said: “We will come back.”

The tension inside the counting centre was evident in the manner in which central forces escorted her out. As she spoke to waiting journalists, BJP supporters nearby shouted slogans, often drowning out her voice.

Bhabanipur and other neighbourhoods that make up the constituency wore a subdued look from Monday morning. Scenes of Trinamool supporters gathering near Mamata’s residence and celebrating with green colours — common on counting days since 2011 — were absent. A few supporters stood around tea stalls, appearing despondent.

Arjun Sardar was on the main road outside Mamata’s home with a rickshaw decorated with the Trinamool symbol and her pictures. “I have been with her since 1998. I will stand by her whether she wins or loses,” Sardar said.