The Trinamool Congress (TMC) swept the West Bengal panchayat elections, the counting for which began on Tuesday, 11 July, and stretched into the next day.
The Mamata Banerjee-led party won 2,552 out of 3,317 gram panchayats, 232 panchayat samitis, and 12 zilla parishads out of 20. The Bharatiya Janata Party, on the other hand, came in a distant second spot, winning only 212 gram panchayats, seven panchayat samitis, and no zilla parishads.
"It's TMC all the way in rural Bengal. I want to thank the people for their love, affection and support towards the TMC. This election has proved that only TMC resides in the heart of the people of the state," CM Banerjee said after the results were declared.
Several people were also seen celebrating outside TMC offices across the state, putting coloured powder on each other and eating sweets.
Counting of votes had started for 74,000 seats spread across the state on Tuesday morning. These include 63,229 gram panchayat seats, 9,730 panchayat samiti seats, and 928 zilla parishad seats.
What Had Happened on Voting Day?
The polling, which took place on Saturday, 8 July, was marred by several violent incidents. As a result, the SEC decided to hold re-polling in 696 booths on Monday.
However, even Monday's polling witnessed the hurling of crude bombs in Murshidabad and lathicharge by the police in Howrah to control crowds, NDTV reported.
Paramilitary forces were also deployed outside counting centres on Tuesday, along with state police forces. Section 144 of the CrPC was imposed outside counting centres to avoid tensions.
However, the BJP claimed that the TMC was trying to "steal" the election through the alleged use of force.
"TMC goons are making desperate attempt to steal the elections by obstructing the counting agents and candidates of the BJP and other opposition political parties from entering counting centres," the BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, told news agency PTI.
"They are being restricted from going towards the venue, and bombs are being hurled to intimidate counting agents," Adhikari added.
Why Are the WB Panchayat Polls So Significant?
The elections are of immense significance as they will serve as a litmus test to gauge the mood of the public ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Furthermore, success in the panchayat polls will help parties mobilise voters at the grassroots level in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
Hence, all the major political parties in West Bengal – the TMC, BJP, Congress, and the Left – have been pouring in considerable resources for a verdict in their favour.
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