According to State Election Commission figures, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has won almost 3,700-gramme panchayat seats and is leading in another 3,167 in West Bengal. The BJP has acquired 673 seats and a 782-seat majority, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) has gained 241 seats and a 627-seat majority. The Congress, in alliance with the CPI(M), has won 107 seats and is leading in 241 others. The results are from the three-tier panchayat polls, which include nearly 74,000 seats comprising gram panchayat, panchayat samiti, and Zilla parishad seats. Counting began on Tuesday morning, with 339 counting venues across 22 districts.
In the Darjeeling hills, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) was leading in 21 seats out of 598 in Darjeeling and one seat out of 281 in Kalimpong, while the BJP was leading in one seat and independent candidates in four seats. Security measures were in place, with armed state police personnel and central forces overseeing the counting process.
Amid the initial trends, a war of words ensued between the TMC and the BJP, with the BJP accusing the ruling party of obstructing opposition agents from entering counting centres. The TMC dismissed these allegations, labelling them as baseless excuses.
Violence marred the rural polls on Saturday, resulting in 15 deaths and incidents of vandalism. A re-poll was conducted on Monday in certain areas due to reports of violence and tampering with ballot boxes. The voter turnout recorded on Saturday was 80.71 per cent while re-polling saw a vote percentage of 69.85 until 5 pm.
The elections in West Bengal have a history of violence, with the 2003 panchayat polls being notorious for a death toll of 76. In 2018, the TMC won many seats uncontested, leading to allegations of preventing opposition candidates from filing nominations. However, in the current elections, the opposition fielded candidates in over 90 per cent of seats.