In recently held West Bengal’s panchayat elections, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is headed for a massive victory, winning 19,394 seats in gram panchayats and ahead in another 560 seats. While the BJP emerged as the main opponent bagging 5,050 seats and leading in another 55 seats.
This is the first time BJP had made its presence felt in rural polls in the districts after getting elected to the gram panchayat level in every district of the state.
The CPM slipped to the third position by winning 1,306 gram panchayats and leading in another 27, the sources said.
The Congress emerged fourth by winning 918 seats and leading in 29 seats, meanwhile independents scored better by winning 1,614 gram panchayat seats and leading in another 39 seats.
Of the total 48,650 seats in gram panchayats, 16,814 went uncontested. There was no contest for 3,059 of the 9,217 panchayat samiti seats and in 203 of the 825 zilla parishad seats.
State BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu in a statement said, “Despite so much of violence we have won more than 5,000 seats in GP (gram panchayat). Had the elections been free and fair we would have won 50 per cent seats at all the three levels of the panchayat.”
Elections which were marked by violence claimed at least 12 lives and left 43 injured.
TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said “People have voted in favour of development ushered in by chief minister Mamata Banerjee and have defeated the forces who were spreading canards against our state.”
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