Bengal rural polls: TMC takes early lead as counting progresses amid heavy security

Early trends showed the Trinamool Congress leading in over 2,229 gram panchayat seats in West Bengal as counting of votes for the violence-torn three-tier rural polls began on Tuesday morning amid tight security, State Election Commission officials said on Tuesday.

The BJP is ahead in 664 seats, the officials said. The CPI(M) is currently leading in over 460 gram panchayat seats followed by its ally Congress in 168, they said.

The ruling TMC is also leading in 28 seats of gram samitis, SEC officials said. “These are unofficial figures, we will make an official announcement later,” a poll official told PTI.

The counting of votes for the nearly 74,000 seats began at the 339 counting venues spread across 22 districts on Tuesday morning. There are a total of 767 strongrooms across these districts.

The maximum number of counting centres is in South 24-Parganas at 28, while the minimum is in Kalimpong, at four. Some northern districts are facing inclement weather.

#WATCH | Panchayat election | West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose says, "…We will certainly take stern action against the control room lords those who sit in political control rooms and guide or remote control the goons on the field. It will be an all-out action. There will be… pic.twitter.com/7fnIVidk8Y

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2023

“The counting, which began at 8 am, is likely to continue for the next two days. It will take time for the ballots to be counted and the results to be compiled. We are hopeful that a trend will be available by the end of the day,” an SEC official said.

Armed state police personnel and central forces are manning all the counting venues, with prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC being imposed outside the venue to avoid any untoward incidents.

Also read: West Bengal polls: TMC likely to win big again, but worries remain for Mamata

Large crowds of supporters of various candidates gathered at various centres to ensure that the counting was conducted correctly.

Violence rocked West Bengal’s rural polls on Saturday, leaving 15 people dead while ballot boxes were vandalised, ballot papers torched, and bombs hurled at rivals in several places.

#WATCH | West Bengal Panchayat poll result 2023: Security deployed; visuals from Berhampore Girls College, Murshidabad. pic.twitter.com/JweuOBB09F

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2023

Of those killed, 11 were affiliated with the TMC. The total death toll in the state since the poll process began on June 8, when the dates were announced, has crossed 30.

A voter turnout of 80.71 per cent was recorded on Saturday, whereas a vote percentage of 69.85 was recorded till 5 pm in 696 booths across West Bengal, where repolling was held on Monday.

Also read: Bengal polls violence: Governor flies to Delhi to submit report to Amit Shah

The decision for repolling was taken after reviewing reports of violence and tampering with ballot boxes and ballot papers on Saturday.

A total of 5.67 crore people living in the state’s rural areas were eligible to decide the fate of 2.06 lakh candidates in 73,887 seats of the panchayat system.

#WATCH | Cooch Behar | West Bengal Panchayat poll results 2023: Security deployed at counting centre; counting of votes to begin shortly.

(Visuals from Dinhata) pic.twitter.com/8HFDUvBuXT

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2023

Saturday’s violence was in keeping with the state’s history of violent rural elections, including the 2003 panchayat polls, which gained notoriety for its cumulative death toll of 76 during the poll process, with nearly 40 killed on the day of polling.

This year, with more than 30 have been killed since the polls were announced earlier last month — the toll remaining almost equal to that of the previous panchayat elections in 2018.

#WATCH | West Bengal Panchayat polls result 2023: Security deployed at counting centre. Visuals from Narayantala Ramkrishna Vidhya Mandir, South 24 Parganas. pic.twitter.com/gvj7Sj85eD

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2023

However, this time, the Opposition fielded candidates in more than 90 per cent of seats, unlike in the 2018 rural polls, when the ruling TMC had won 34 per cent of the seats uncontested.

In the 2018 rural polls, the ruling TMC emerged victorious in 90 per cent of the panchayat seats and in all the 22 zilla parishads. The elections were marred by widespread violence, with the Opposition alleging they were prevented from filing nominations in several seats.

(With agency inputs)