Mamata’s trifecta – violence, vote bank and victory

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West Bengal Panchayat Polls
West Bengal Panchayat Polls (Representative photo)

According to the most recent State Election Commission update, the ruling TMC has won in 34,359 gram panchayat seats, besides leading in 752 seats, according to the SEC as of 8am on Wednesday.

Its nearest rival BJP has won 9,545 seats and is leading in 180 seats. In all elections are being held for 63,229 gram panchayat seats.

The CPI( M) has won 2,885 and is leading in 96 seats. The Congress won 2,498 seats and is leading in 72.

Following the State Election Commission’s declaration of voided polls for the West Bengal Assembly elections, repolling took held in 696 booths across 19 districts.

An impressive 69.85% voter turnout was registered until 5 p.m. Despite suspicions of ballot box tampering and earlier incidents of violence that resulted in 15 deaths, no major incidents were recorded during the repolling on Sunday evening.

The counting of votes for West Bengal’s panchayat elections, which were marred by violence and allegations of rigging, has started. The State Election Commission (SEC) has ordered re-elections in 696 polling places in 19 districts where voting was declared unlawful due to suspicions of ballot box tampering and violence.

The BJP claims that at least 45 people were killed in the poll violence, while the TMC denies the allegations. The BJP has also claimed that its and other opposition parties’ counting agents are being barred from reaching the counting centres.

The SEC has stated that it is taking all necessary steps to guarantee that the counting process is fair and transparent. However, the violence and rigging claims have placed a cloud of suspicion over the panchayat elections.

Separately, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that around 100 persons from West Bengal have sought refuge in Assam as a result of the panchayat election violence. Sarma stated that the folks have been housed in a relief camp and that he will offer them with any humanitarian assistance they require.

The panchayat elections are viewed as a warm-up for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. The outcomes of the panchayat elections will be closely followed to understand how they alter West Bengal’s political landscape.

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