TMC set to sweep Bengal Panchayat elections, wins over 30,000 seats, BJP wins 8,239 seats

KOLKATA: The TMC looks set to sweep the violence-hit rural polls by securing an unbeatable lead in the results declared by the State Election Commission so far, retaining the mandate it won during the assembly polls two years ago. According to the SEC till 11.30 pm on Tuesday night, the ruling TMC has won 30,391 gram panchayat seats, besides leading in 1,767 seats. Its nearest rival BJP has won 8,239 seats and is leading in 447 seats. Altogether, elections are being held for 63,229 gram panchayat seats.

CPI(M) has won 2,534 seats and is leading in 237 seats. Congress won 2,158 seats and is leading on 151. The ruling TMC won 2,612 panchayat samiti seats while it was leading in 627 seats. BJP has won 275 seats and is leading in 149 seats, while CPI(M) has won 63 seats and is leading in 53 other seats and Congress has won 50 seats and is leading in 26 seats. Elections were held for 9,728 Panchayat Samiti seats.

TMC has won all 88 Zilla Parishad results declared so far and is leading in another 163 seats, while CPI(M) is leading in 4 seats, Congress in 2 and BJP in 13 . In all, there are 928 Zilla Parishad seats. seats. Although the counting process was largely peaceful, there were sporadic incidents of bombs being hurled outside counting centers and clashes between political workers of different parties.

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Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was injured during the election campaign, thanked people for reposing faith in her party. In a statement, Banerjee said, “Rural Bengal is TMC in every way. I would like to thank people for their love, affection and support towards TMC. This election has proved that TMC is the only people of the state.” lives in the heart of social media post.

The polls were keenly contested as all parties saw it as an indicator of which direction the wind would blow through this part of the country in the 2024 parliamentary elections. At least 15 people lost their lives in the violence that broke out in the panchayat polls on Saturday, of which 11 belonged to the ruling TMC. The death toll in election-related incidents has risen to 33 since the elections were announced last month, of which 60 per cent have been attributed to the ruling party.

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Allegations of vote-tampering and violence by various parties forced the SEC on Monday to order re-polling in 696 seats, which passed off more or less peacefully. Both the election and counting days saw the deployment of central police forces due to the intervention of the Calcutta High Court.

Although Bengal has a long history of violent rural elections, with 40 people killed on a single day of polling during the 2003 panchayat polls, this year’s violence, which was covered extensively by the media, has focused national attention. Governor CV Anand Bose, who had arrived in Delhi to report on the violence, told reporters, “Political parties should realize that elections are not the basis to test one’s physical strength”.

Officials said the counting process was largely peaceful, as sporadic incidents were reported. including bombs being hurled outside a counting center in Bongaon, a local ISF leader being beaten up outside another counting center and lathicharge by central police personnel on duty at places where large crowds gathered and some of the counting stopped There was a breach in the security of the centres. ,

The counting of votes is underway at 339 locations spread across 22 districts and is likely to go on till Wednesday. The maximum number of counting centers are in 28 South 24 Parganas, while Kalimpong has the minimum number of four. Some northern districts are also facing inclement weather. An SEC official said, “The counting of votes started at 8 am and is likely to continue for the next two days. The counting of ballots and results will take time.”

In the Darjeeling hills, out of 598 seats in Darjeeling and 281 seats in Kalimpong, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) is leading in many areas and is likely to become the new number one in the hill districts of Bengal.

Armed state police personnel and central forces are deployed at all the counting centers and prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been imposed outside the venue to avoid any untoward incident. There are a total of 767 strong rooms in 22 districts.

Huge crowds of supporters of various candidates gathered at various centers to ensure that the counting of votes is done properly. In various districts, TMC supporters celebrated their victory by dancing and smearing each other with the party’s chosen green colour.

As the early trends started coming in, a war of words broke out between the TMC and the BJP, with the ruling party accusing the ruling party of “making a last-ditch effort to steal votes by preventing opposition agents from entering the counting centres”.

“TMC goons are making a desperate attempt to steal the election by preventing counting agents and candidates of BJP and other opposition political parties from entering the counting centres. They are being prevented from proceeding to the venue, and the counting agents Bombs are being hurled to create scare,” said Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.

Rejecting the allegations, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “Sense of defeat, they are making baseless allegations.” “Rejected by the people and feeling a humiliating defeat, this is the BJP’s last-ditch effort to make poor excuses for its organizational failures,” he said.

CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim said, “We salute the people that despite all these (obstacles), they have supported the Left Front candidates.” The CPI(M) leader alleged that the ruling party was misusing the police and administration to come back to power in the panchayats.

ISF MLA Naushad Siddiqui, who is leading his newly formed party, told PTI, “Whatever opportunity people have got to exercise their franchise, despite violence and intimidation, they have expressed their opinion against the ruling party.” ” He added that “the myth that a certain community is a vote bank has been proved wrong”.

A total of 5.67 crore people living in the state’s rural areas were eligible to decide the fate of 2.06 lakh candidates for 73,887 seats in the three-tier-panchayat system. Unlike earlier elections, the opposition had fielded candidates in more than 90 per cent of the seats, unlike in the 2018 rural elections, when the ruling TMC won 34 per cent seats unopposed.

In the 2018 rural elections, the ruling TMC emerged victorious in 90 per cent panchayat seats and all 22 zilla parishads. The elections saw widespread violence, with the opposition alleging that they were prevented from filing nominations for several seats.