Panchayat polls: Trinamool set for overwhelming majority; Close competition for second place

KOLKATA, July 12 (IANS) As votes in West Bengal’s panchayat elections continue to be counted on Tuesday, the 11pm trend has shown that while the ruling Trinamool Congress maintains clear numerical superiority at all three levels, there is an intensely tightening competition between the BJP and the Congress alliance. – Left front on the second position.

The final photo, according to sources at the state election commission, won’t be available before Wednesday afternoon or even later.

As of 11pm on Tuesday, the Trinamool Congress was well ahead of the opposition parties with a winning total of 36,665 panchayat seats (figures include uncontested seats).

While the BJP won 7,263 seats, the Congress and Left Front bloc won 4,208 seats (Congress 1,811, Left Front 2,397).

Others, including the All India Secular Front (AISF) and independents, won 1,732 seats. There was a tie for as many as 744 seats, where a coin toss would determine the winner at a later stage.

Gram panchayat is the lowest level of the three-tiered panchayat system in the state.

In the case of Panchayat Samiti, second caste, Trinamool has 2,319 seats, followed by BJP 109, Left Front 39, Congress 36 et al 2.

In the case of zilla parishad, the highest level, the trend came to gain only 82 seats as of 11pm, with Trinamool winning or leading in 81 seats and BJP in one seat.

Meanwhile, Trinamool’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, mocked West Bengal Assembly opposition leader Sovindu Adhikari for his recent call for “No vote for Mamata” in the run-up to rural civic elections.

“The slogan ‘No vote for Mamata’ has morphed into ‘Vote now for Mamata,’” Banerjee said.

– Jans

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