WB Panchayat: TMC leads in 13 of the 17 districts in gram panchayats

After sweeping the 2009 Lok Sabha and 2011 assembly elections, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress today completed its electoral victory-run by wiping out the opposition Left in most part of the rural West Bengal. Without any pre-poll alliance, TMC, on its own, took a lead in 13 of the 17 districts in bagging gram (village) panchayats, while the Left and Congress were leading in two districts each.

Apart from 10 of the 11 districts of south Bengal (except Murshidabad), TMC was leading in Cooch Bihar and Dakshin Dinajpur in North Bengal in terms number of gram panchayts won.  CPI-M -led Left Front, on the other hand, was leading in Jalpaiguri and Malda and Congress were leading in Murshidabad and Uttar Dinajpur.

Till 6 pm, out of  total of 3,215 gram panchayats in the state, TMC bagged 901, while Left and Congress won 325 and 194 respectively.

The ruling TMC seems to have successfully overcome the negativity surrounding the state-government because of the party leaders' alleged involvement in the Saradha-scam as the party was leading in the districts like South 24 Pargans, North 24 Parganas and East Medinipur, which accounted for most of the victims of the finacial fraud.

Also, TMC managed to hold its fort in Singur(Hooghly), where Mamata Banerjee-led movement against acquistion of farm land had catapulted her to power. Banerjee may not have been able to keep her promise of returning the land to farmers due to legal-battle with Tata Motors, but that has not affected the indomitable faith of Singur on Didi. Out Of 16 gram panchayts in Singur, TMC was leading in 14.

So far, Panchayat Samiti concerned, results of 10, out of the total 329 were out and all these -- four each in Bankura and Birbhum; and one each in Nadia and Barddhaman were bagged by the ruling TMC
 
If the gram panchayat and panchayat samiti results, were any indication, then TMC may end up taking control of 13 of the 17 zilla (district)  Parsihads – a feat, which was achieved by Left Front government five years back.

The manual counting of postal ballots for zilla (district) parishad seats, however, was yet to start in most of the districts till evening. According to the state election commission, counting for zilla parishad would begin only after completion of all gram panchayats and panchayat samitis.

Early trend were available in a handful of seats in the districts  of Bankura, Birbhum, Hooghly and South 24 Paragans – it was, again, TMC leading everywhere.  In 2008,  panchayat election, which perhaps showed the first signs of crack in the Left citadel in Bengal, Left had bagged 13 of the 17 zilla (distric) parishads while the Trinamool and Congress had two each under their belt.  But TMC now seems to on the verge of bringing a "Paribartan" (change)  in the local governence of rural Bengal as well.