Live updates on the West Bengal Panchayat Election results: According to information made public by the State Election Commission on Tuesday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) won 18,590 gramme panchayat (GP) seats in West Bengal, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won 4,479 seats. Independent
candidates won 1,062 GP seats, while CPI(M) and Congress won 1,426 and 1,071 seats, respectively. The counting of votes started this morning, one day after West Bengal underwent re-voting in roughly 697 booths after violence marred the July 8 panchayat elections, killing at least 20 people.
Bengal Panchayat Election
The panchayat elections, which are routinely held a year before the Lok Sabha elections, are seen as a signpost of what is to come in a state that is predominately rural. The 2008 panchayat elections, in which the Trinamool Congress (along with the Congress) shattered the Left Front’s decades-long hegemony
over panchayat elections by bringing the then ruling coalition’s tally down to just above 50% from the usual returns of 85–90%, are seen as the origin of the party’s electoral dominance in West Bengal.
The Left Front, which was led by the CPI(M), also lost two district Zilla Parishads to the TMC and the
Congress, which was unusual, and won numerous more. Mamata Banerjee’s party shocked the Left with a resounding victory in the Lok Sabha elections a year later, following the Singur agitation and the consolidation of Congress elements in the TMC; this trend has not yet been reversed. The 2018 panchayat
elections served as a prelude as well. The BJP made significant gains in the Lok Sabha in 2019 and closely outperformed the TMC as a result of the alleged widespread rigging and violence that led to the results of a significant number of panchayat seats being declared uncontested in favour of the incumbent party.
Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, TMC leader Abhishek says the party’s victory in the panchayat election is a benefit.
Abhishek Banerjee, a senior member of the Trinamool Congress, praised West Bengal’s rural residents on Tuesday for supporting his party in the three-tier panchayat elections.
Banerjee claimed that the “No Vote to Mamata” campaign had changed into “Now Vote for Mamata” in what seems to be a dig at BJP opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari.
‘Grateful to the people for changing Oppn’s ‘NO VOTE TO MAMATA’ campaign to ‘NOW VOTE FOR
MAMATA.’ We’ll undoubtedly have a booming mandate with unflinching support for #TrinamooleNaboJowar, opening the door for LS elections. I appreciate all the kindness, Bengal,” tweeted Banerjee.
Violence continues on counting day, and the governor says it’s time to reflect.
On the day of the counting, there was still violence, including fights and the detonation of homemade bombs, which plagued the Bengal panchayat elections.
A Trinamool Congress candidate’s child was hurt in a bombing incident. Rudraprasad Ghosh, son of Prasenjit Ghosh and Uma Ghosh, candidates for the Chaikghariya gramme panchayat and Bangaon panchayat samiti, was named as the injured.
The BJP and CPM both denied being responsible for the incident, which was blamed on them by the TMC. The district head of the Bangaon TMC, Biswajit Das, claimed that the CPM and BJP were attempting to sow fear in front of the counting centre. Over four explosives detonated. They take all of these actions despite knowing they lack the public’s backing.
Devdas Mondal, the general secretary of the Bangaon BJP district organisation committee, responded, “Trinamool is rioting… They successively dropped two bombs to prevent our employees from entering the counting centre. Certificates from successful candidates are being seized. In this state, democracy does not exist.
Governor CV Ananda Bose commented on the violent attacks by saying, “Political parties should realise elections are not the place to test one’s physical prowess.” He claimed that violence and corruption were Bengal’s two foes.
The Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), led the two-tier panchayat elections in the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) on Tuesday. With the assistance of TMC, BGPM is now in control of GTA..
Initial trends indicate that TMC has not yet opened an account. Their coalition partner, however, has already taken control of 33 of the 70 gramme panchayats.
According to first trends, BGPM chairman Anit Thapa stated that “people in the hills are very happy.” Our accountability will grow. Our main priority is to bring about growth and tranquilly in the hill areas.
Recently, Bimal Gurung, Binay Gurung, and Ajay Edwards intended to bring up the Gorkhaland issue in West Bengal’s hilly regions. These three politicians ran as candidates for the ‘United Gorkha Alliance,’ backed by the BJP, in the GTA panchayat elections.
Darjeeling and Kalimpong, two hill districts in West Bengal, had panchayat elections for GTA. After 23 years, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) region held two-tier panchayat elections on July 8 as opposed to three-tier elections in the rest of the state. The United Gorkha Alliance has secured one gramme panchayat, while the BJP has so far won two.
According to data released as of 3pm, independent candidates won the majority of the seats in nine general elections. The Panchayat Samiti results have not yet been made public. In Darjeeling, there are 598 gramme panchayat seats in 70 GPs, and in Kalimpong, there are 281 gramme panchayat seats in 42 GPs.
“I want to thank everyone who took part. In a democratic election, there are only victors and candidates who have a chance of winning. It’s time to reflect right now. Democratic elections should not incite hatred or violence since they are friendly competitions.
“Strict action will be taken against those who sit in the political control room and incite violence by remotely controlling goons on the pitch,” he warned..
