Kolkata: A girl student topped the West Bengal Board Class 10 exams, the results of which were announced on Friday.
An estimated 86.15 per cent of the 6,83,321 candidates passed the secondary examination conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, board president Ramanuj Ganguly told a press meet here.
Debdutta Majhi of Katwa Durga Dasi Chaudharani Girls High School who secured 697 marks out of 700 - 99.57 per cent topped the list, he said.
The percentage of successful candidates this year was a bit lower from 86.60 per cent in 2022, Ganguly said.
The results were published 75 days after the Secondary Exams were conducted, he said.
Purba Medinipur district registered the highest percentage of successful candidates at 96.81 per cent.
A total of 118 candidates figured in the merit list comprising the first 10 rank holders, he said.
Subham Paul and Rifat Hasan Sarkar of Burdwan Municipal High School and Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Vidyamandir, Malda jointly secured the second rank having scored 691 marks.
The third rank was jointly shared by six candidates.
He said there was no candidate from the metropolis in the top 10.
Congratulating the successful candidates, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted, "Heartfelt greetings and congratulations to all the students who passed the Madhyamik examination. May each of your future days be filled with success."
State Education Minister Bratya Basu also wished "golden future for the candidates," in a tweet.
Flanked by her parents, Majhi told reporters at her residence that she mostly concentrated on her text books and used to study for 10-12 hours daily.
Asked about her future plans, Majhi said she wanted to join any Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and pursue higher studies in mathematics or physics.
Replying to journalists, Majhi said she plays violin, and loves to read story books.
"I was helped by all my school teachers and was also guided by private tutors in several subjects ," she said.
Ganguly said the candidates will get marksheets and certificates with QR codes from their respective schools.
