Trinamool sweeps Bengal local polls

IANS/Kolkata

West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress romped towards a massive victory in the rural polls, regarded as a curtain raiser to the next general elections and the biggest test of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s popularity since she came to power in 2011.

The Trinamool has won or is on the verge of winning the majority of the gram panchayats and the panchayat samilties (the lowest and the middle levels, respectively, of the three-tier rural council system) in 12 of the 17 districts of the state.

As per latest results, the Trinamool had claimed 163 of the 225 samities, with the opposition Left Front bagging 51. The Congress got only 19. Some of the samities returned hung verdicts.

With counting almost over in the gram panchayats and majority of panchayat samities, the Mamata magic seems to be intact in bulk of the districts, notwithstanding the Sarada chit fund case, and other controversies which has dogged her government.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front, which had established its dominance in 13 districts in the previous elections held in 2008, suffered huge losses, particularly in south Bengal. But it managed to do better in some of the northern districts, mainly benefiting from a triangular contest with the Trinamool cutting into the traditional bases of the Congress.

The LF finished as the single largest combination in the gram panchayats of Jalpaiguri district, and led in the samities. It also came up with a good show in Murshidabad, Malda and North Dinajpur districts, for long strongholds of the Congress.

The Congress, which emerged third, seemed to have spoiled the Trinamool’s party in the district. The Congress bagged more than half of the gram panchayats in its citadel Murshidabad, but finished second in the panchayat samities.