Some results are still pending.
Kolkata:
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) won the West Bengal panchayat elections, winning a majority in all three tiers of the rural local government. The TMC won 2,552 out of 3,317 gram panchayats, 232 panchayat samitis and 12 out of 20 zilla parishads. The BJP was a distant second winning only 212 gram panchayats, 7 panchayat samitis and no zilla parishads.
Some results are still pending.
“It is TMC all the way in rural Bengal. I would like to thank the people for their love, affection and support for the TMC. This election has proved that only TMC lives in the hearts of the people of the state,” said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a Facebook post.
The counting of votes for the panchayat elections started yesterday morning. More than 74,000 seats are up for grabs, including 63,229 gram panchayat seats, 9,730 panchayat samiti seats, and 928 zilla Parishad seats.
The polls, billed as a test of popularity for Trinamool supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, saw rampant violence on Saturday.
Monday’s repoling was again marred by violence in several booths, which left 15 people dead. A new poll was conducted in 696 booths amid allegations of voter fraud, booth taking, and multiple reports of electoral irregularities and voter suppression during the polls.
Explosives were detonated at a counting center in Murshidabad yesterday morning as police had to use batons to disperse a crowd in Howrah.
Opposition BJP has accused the Trinamool of making “desperate attempts to loot votes” by preventing opposition observers from entering the counting centres.
“TMC guys are making a desperate attempt to steal the election by blocking the counter agents and candidates of the BJP and other opposition political parties from entering the counting centers. They are not allowed to go to the site and bombs are being hurled to intimidate counter agents. said opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari, quoted by PTI news agency.
The Trinamool has claimed that 60 percent of people killed in polls were their workers or supporters.
“Even a malicious campaign with baseless propaganda to defame the AITC State Govt in WB failed to sway voters!” said Trinamool leader Abhishek Banerjee in response to allegations of poll manipulation.
“Grateful to the people for turning the opposition’s ‘No Vote To Mamata’ campaign into ‘Now Vote For Mamata,'” he added.
The dejection of the combined opposition of BJP, CPIM & INC pales in comparison to the sadness that must be felt by friends of the mainstream media.
Not even a malicious campaign with baseless propaganda to defame the AITC State Govt in WB could influence the voters! (1/2)
— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) July 11, 2023
The rampant violence and allegations of ballot box tampering prompted West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose to submit a report to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Bose also warned of strict action against those involved in the violence.
