The ruling party, Trinamool Congress (TMC), has once again maintained its dominance in the West Bengal Panchayat elections. The party has won several seats and secured a lead on others. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured the second position in the Panchayat elections. However, the BJP is significantly behind TMC, but it has performed better compared to the previous Panchayat elections. In the 2018 elections, the BJP had won only on 5,779 seats, whereas in 2023, the party has already waved its flag on over 8,200 seats.
According to the declared results of the Panchayat elections in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress is showing its dominance. Two years ago, TMC achieved victory for the third consecutive time in the Assembly elections. As per the results declared by the State Election Commission (SEC) by Tuesday night at 11:30, the ruling Trinamool Congress has secured victories on 30,391 seats in the tri-level Panchayat elections, while it has gained a lead on 1,767 seats.
BJP’s victory on over 8,200 seats On the other hand, the nearest rival of Trinamool Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has secured victories on 8,239 seats, gaining a lead on 447 seats. A total of 63,299 gram panchayat seats were contested in the state. As per the declared results, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has secured victories on 2,534 seats. The Congress has won on 2,158 seats, while its candidates are leading on 151 other seats.
TMC’s control on over 2,600 Panchayat Samiti seats The ruling Trinamool Congress has won on 2,612 Panchayat Samiti seats and gained a lead on 627 others. BJP has so far won 275 Panchayat Samiti seats and is leading on 149 seats. CPI(M) has won on 63 seats and is leading on 53 others, while Congress has won 50 seats. Voting was held for a total of 9,728 Panchayat Samiti seats in the state.
TMC has so far achieved victories on all 88 declared seats of the Zilla Parishad and is leading on 163 others, while CPI(M) has won on four seats, Congress on two seats, and BJP has gained a lead on 13 seats. The state has a total of 928 Zilla Parishad seats.
After allegations of violence and rigging in the elections by various parties, the State Election Commission (SEC) conducted a re-poll on Monday for 696 seats, which concluded peacefully. Following the intervention of the Calcutta High Court, the elections and counting day saw deployment of central forces. During the re-poll on Monday, 69.85% of voters exercised their franchise until 5 PM. In the completed Panchayat elections on Saturday, voter turnout was 80.71%.
