2023 West Bengal local elections

2023 West Bengal Panchayat elections
← 2018 8 July 2023 2028 →
63,229 Gram Panchayat
9,730 Panchayat Samiti
928 Zilla Parishad
Turnout80.71% (Decrease1.46 pp)[1]
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Leader Mamata Banerjee Sukanta Majumdar Mohammed Salim
Party AITC BJP CPI(M)
Leader since 5 June 2021 20 September

2021

16 March 2022
Popular vote 51% 23% 14%
Swing Decrease21% Increase10% Increase8%
Gram Panchayat 44,105 9,990 3,242
Panchayat Samiti 7,855 1,074 196
Zilla Parishad 879 31 2
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Nawsad Siddique
Party INC ISF
Leader since 20 September 2021 21 January 2021
Popular vote 7% 2%
Swing Increase2% New
Gram Panchayat 2,680 543
Panchayat Samiti 293 0
Zilla Parishad 14 1

Panchayat elections were held in the Indian state of West Bengal in July 2023.[2] It was held by the West Bengal State Election Commission. The results were announced on 11 July 2023.

Schedule

The election schedule was announced by the State Election Commission of West Bengal on 8 June 2023.[3]

Poll Event Schedule
Notification Date 9 June 2023
Last Date for filing nomination 15 June 2023
Last Date for Withdrawal of nomination 20 June 2023
Date of Poll 8 July 2023
Date of Counting of Votes 11 July 2023

Parties and alliances

Party Symbol Alliance
Trinamool Congress TMC
-
Bharatiya Janata Party BJP
Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M)
Sanjukta Morcha
Indian National Congress INC
All India Forward Bloc AIFB
Revolutionary Socialist Party RSP
Communist Party of India CPI
Indian Secular Front ISF
Nationalist Congress Party NCP
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation CPI(ML)L
-
Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) SUCI(C)
-

Turnout

80.71 percent of the total voters exercised their franchise in the three-tier panchayat elections, according to the West Bengal State Election Commission.[4] The re-poll in 600 booths where voting had to be suspended due to violence is scheduled to be held on 10 July 2023.[4]

Violence

Main article: 2023 West Bengal local elections violence

Between 8 June and 16 July 2023 a total of 55 people died due to panchayat poll violence in the state.

On 8 July 2023, 12 persons died due to election-day violence. On 9 July 2023, six more deaths were reported,[4] increasing the death toll to 18 on the election day. The dead included 10 Trinamool Congress supporters, four from the Indian National Congress, two from the Bharatiya Janata Party and two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist).[4]

On 11 July 2023, result day late night in Bhangar, South 24 parganas there were gunshots and huge bombings killing 3.

"Murder of democracy in West Bengal under the TMC govt. Over 60 dead & 100s injured in the local body elections. Strongly condemn. Strengthen popular resistance to save democracy in Bengal & in India," said Sitaram Yechury, National Secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist), condemning the alleged rigging in elections by the ruling party.

Results

Vote share by Party

  TMC (51%)
  BJP (23%)
  LF (14%)
  INC (7%)
  ISF (1%)
  Others (4%)

Vote share by Alliance

  TMC (51%)
  Sanjukta Morcha[a] (23.02%)
  BJP (22.92%)
  Others (4%)
Political parties Popular votes % of votes Gram Panchayat Panchayat Samiti Zila Parishad
Trinamool Congress 20,942,380 51.14% 35,606 6,560 877
Sanyukta Morcha 9,565,359 23.02% 6,822 459 17
Bharatiya Janata Party 9,467,540 22.92% 9,990 1,044 31
Others 1,081,673 2.84% 2,972 301 1

Analysis

The Trinamool Congress won a landslide victory in the panchayat election, winning 100 per cent of Zilla Parishads, 92 per cent Panchayat Samitis and 80 per cent Gram Panchayats.[5][6]

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a second position in these polls and performed well in North Bengal.[7]

The Sanjukta Morcha alliance came third in these local bodies elections.[8] The ISF especially performed well in the areas where it contested, winning almost 50% of the seats contested.[9] The Left Front and INC also performed well in the Muslim-dominated Malda division.[8] Most notably Left Front pushed Bharatiya Janata Party to third spot in the Burdwan division after a long time since 2016.

Notes

  1. ^ inc. Left Front, INC, ISF, SUCI(C), NCP and CPI (ML)

References

  1. ^ https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/2023-panchayat-elections-record-80-71-per-cent-turnout-with-14-per-cent-votes-cast-before-5pm/cid/1950932#:~:text=West%20Bengal%20Panchayat%20Elections,cast%20before%205pm%20%2D%20Telegraph%20India
  2. ^ "Bengal panchayat polls to be held on July 8: SEC Rajiva Sinha". Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Bengal Panchayat Election 2023: Voting On July 8, Nomination Begins From June 9 | Check Full Schedule". India.com. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d "West Bengal panchayat polls | Repolling in 696 booths on July 10; death toll rises to 18". The Hindu. 9 July 2023.
  5. ^ "West Bengal panchayat election results: TMC sweeps, BJP second. 10 updates". Hindustan Times. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Bengal panchayat polls: TMC sweeps all but 2 hill dists; ISF impresses in stronghold". The Indian Express. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  7. ^ "BJP loses Jangalmahal, north Bengal grounds in TMC wave, but Suvendu gets rural poll booster". The Indian Express. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  8. ^ a b Ghosh, Sayantan (12 July 2023). "Bengal Panchayat Polls: TMC Wins, But At What Cost? Many Cautionary Signs For Mamata Banerjee". news.abplive.com. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  9. ^ "TMC's worry: Not just Bhangar, Indian Secular Front picked up seats across Bengal districts". The Indian Express. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.


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