West Bengal Panchayat polls witnessed a significant decline for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) as they secure just under 10% of seats without facing any opposition, marking a sharp drop from the 34% uncontested wins they achieved in the previous election. The deadline for withdrawal of nominations concluded on June 20, 2023, with the elections scheduled to take place on July 8. The results will be declared on July 11.
With a sharp drop from the 34% of seats won without contest in the previous election, the TMC could only secure below 10% of the seats uncontested this time. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) experienced a significant decline in unopposed victories, indicating a weakening hold on power.
As per the figures provided by the State Election Commission, the TMC secured approximately 7000 seats (9.47%) out of the total 73,887 without any opposition. Out of these, they won 6,238 (9.7%) out of total 63,229 gram panchayat seats, 759 (7.8%) out of 9,730 panchayat samiti seats, and eight out of 928 (0.86%) zila parishad seats without facing any rivals.
In contrast, the opposition parties were able to secure only a handful of seats, with the majority going uncontested to the TMC. The ruling party’s uncontested victories were primarily concentrated in districts like Birbhum, Bankura, Murshidabad, and South 24 Parganas, which have been marred by clashes and violence in recent times.
During the 2018 panchayat elections, the TMC had won a much larger share of uncontested seats, including 16814 (34.5%) of the gram panchayat seats, 3059 (33.2%) of the panchayat samiti seats, and 203 (24.6%) of the zila parishad seats.
In the district of Birbhum, where the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has dominance over all panchayats, both Lok Sabha seats, and 10 out of the 11 assembly constituencies, the party managed to secure only one out of the 52 zilla parishad seats. TMC leaders have stated that their candidates emerged victorious without any opposition in over 800-odd gram panchayat seats and approximately 120 panchayat samiti seats.
A senior TMC leader attempted to explain the increase in opposition nominations for zila parishads by suggesting that the party had encouraged a peaceful filing process at the district magistrate offices, allowing more opposition candidates to come forward. However, opposition parties dismissed these claims, arguing that their ability to file a higher number of nominations reflected the diminishing organizational control of the TMC.
Critics of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused her of presiding over a lawless rule, allowing a deteriorating law and order situation and the unchecked hooliganism of TMC workers. They pointed out instances where opposition candidates were prevented from filing nominations in Diamond Harbour, allegedly using the state machinery to stifle their participation.
CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty asserted that despite facing such obstacles, the opposition parties managed to submit nominations in most areas, suggesting that the TMC was apprehensive about an impending defeat.
Anubrata Mondal, the president of TMC in Birbhum district, is currently incarcerated in Delhi’s Tihar jail due to his involvement in a cattle smuggling case under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED). Despite this setback, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) remains the sole party contesting all 2859 gram panchayat seats and all 490 panchayat samiti seats in Birbhum. In comparison, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), TMC’s closest rival, is only contesting 1284 seats in gram panchayats and 297 seats in panchayat samiti. Based on the available figures, the TMC has thus won approximately 920 seats in Birbhum.
In the district of North 24 Parganas, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is the sole party contesting in all 4535 Grampanchayat seats. On the other hand, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have fielded approximately 2,200 candidates each. The Congress, however, has chosen to contest in only 466 seats. Notably, in the regions of Purulia and West Midnapore districts, where the BJP performed well in 2018, the number of BJP candidates is considerably higher compared to other opposition parties.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar has remarked on the sharp decline from 34% to 9.5% in the unopposed wins of the TMC in the panchayat elections. He said, “This 9.5% figure would have been 4.5 % if we could file nominations and there was no violence. TMC has destroyed democracy.”
These developments raise questions about the effectiveness of Mamata Banerjee’s leadership and the state’s democratic processes. Critics argue that the diminishing number of uncontested wins reflects a waning grip on power and the erosion of the TMC’s dominance in West Bengal.
