The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal took an early lead in all three tiers of the panchayat polls after nearly five hours of counting on Thursday.
According to the latest trend, Trinamool went ahead in almost all the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti seats across 20 districts where rural election were held on May 14.
The Bharatiya Janata Party emerged a distant second as it managed to go ahead or win a section of panchayat seats in a few places, while the Left and Congress heavily struggled to put up a fight.
However, the Trinamool Congress leadership refused to celebrate as a lot of counting still remained.
"It is a good trend for us. We have said before that the people are with us. But I think it too early to comment as the counting for Panchayat Samiti seats are yet to be done," party's Secretary General Partha Chatterjee told IANS.
Sporadic incidents of unrest over the election results were reported from certain districts like Nadia where a group of miscreants allegedly ran away with ballot boxes.
In West Bengal's Bhangar that has been on the boil over the construction of a power grid sub-station by the state government over the last one year, the Independent candidates backed by Jomi-Jibika-Bastutantra O Poribesh Rokkha Committee (Committee for protecting life, livelihood, ecology and environment) won gram panchayat seats, wherever voting took place.
The Panchayat Samiti was, however, won by the ruling party.
The polling for Bengal panchayat polls took place on Monday amid reports of widespread violence and clashes between rival political groups that led to repolling in 573 booths in 19 of the 20 districts on Wednesday.
According to the state administration, 12 people lost their lives on the polling day among which death of six people were confirmed to be due to poll violence.
However, opposition political parties and a section of the media claimed the death toll on the polling day had gone up to 21, while five more people died on the next day.
Initially, voting for the rural bodies was to be held on May 1, 3 and 5 but as the nomination process started in April, it was rescheduled to May 14 by the State Election Commission (SEC) following a Calcutta High Court order to extend the nomination deadline and announce a fresh polling date.
Statistics reveal that of the total 58,692 seats in the three tiers of the rural local bodies, 20,076 seats, or 34.2 per cent, have been decided uncontested, with the Trinamool bagging a whopping proportion of these seats.
These include 16,814 of the total 48,650 gram Panchayats seats, 3,059 of the 9,217 Panchayat Samiti seats and 203 of the 825 Zila Parishad seats.
The Supreme Court has now asked the SEC not to issue winning certificates in these seats.
Jiten accuses RO of West Parliamentary seat for being ‘biased’ in election process; writes ECI
The Leader of Opposition and also the CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury on Thursday accused the Returning Officer of the West Parliamentary constituency of the Lok Sabha Dr Vishal Kumar over his ‘discriminatory’ attitude towards the opposition parties.
MHA extends AFSPA in parts of Arunachal and Nagaland for 6 more months
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in certain districts of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh for another six months with effect from April 1, officials said on Thursday.
Arunachal was, is, and will remain an integral part of India: MEA
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that China's repetitive claims on Arunachal Pradesh will not change India's position, and the northeastern state will remain an integral and inalienable part of India.
‘To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture', says PM Modi on lawyers’ letter to CJI
Reacting to an open letter to the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, which was signed by over 600 advocates on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that to "browbeat and bully others is the vintage culture of the Congress".
'Unacceptable, unwarranted': India again slams US' remarks on Arvind Kejriwal
Calling the US State Department's remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal "unwarranted", India on Thursday said that any such external imputation on the electoral and legal process is completely unacceptable.
Excise policy case: Delhi court extends CM Kejriwal's ED custody till April 1
CM Kejriwal, whose alleged role in the excise policy scam is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), was produced before Special Judge Kaweri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court on the expiry of his six-day ED remand on Thursday.
CM not above law, says ED as Kejriwal questions rationale behind his arrest
"The case has been going on for two years. The case was filed on August 17. No court has found me guilty. There are no charges against me nor has any case been filed against me. But I have been arrested," he said.
Ukrainian FM arrives in India to build on talks between PM Modi, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
In a first high-level visit by a Ukrainian leader since the start of hostilities with Russia in 2022, Kuleba began his two-day official visit at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.