- July 11, 2023
- Posted by: AliensFaith
- Category: OBJECTIVE PRESS
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) swept 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 awaited.
“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,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a Facebook post.
The counting of votes for the panchayat elections began yesterday morning. Over 74,000 seats are up for grabs, including 63,229 gram panchayat seats, 9,730 panchayat samiti seats, and 928 zilla parishad seats.
The polling on Monday was marred by violence in several booths, resulting in the deaths of 15 people. Repolling was held yesterday in 696 booths amid allegations of ballot box tampering.
Explosives were detonated near a counting center in Murshidabad yesterday morning, prompting police 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 counting centers.
“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. They are being restricted from going towards the venue, and bombs are being hurled to intimidate counting agents,” leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
