2023 West Bengal local elections

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2023 West Bengal Panchayat elections
Flag of India.svg
  2018 8 July 20232028 

63,229 Gram Panchayat
9,730 Panchayat Samiti
928 Zilla Parishad
Turnout80.71% (Decrease2.svg1.46 pp) [1]
 Majority partyMinority partyThird party
  All India Trinamool Congress symbol 2021.svg Lotus flower symbol.svg CPIM election symbol.png
Leader Mamata Banerjee Sukanta Majumdar Mohammed Salim
Party AITC BJP CPI(M)
Leader since5 June 202120 September

2021

16 March 2022
Popular vote51%23%14%
SwingDecrease2.svg21%Increase2.svg10%Increase2.svg8%
Gram Panchayat44,1059,9903,242
Panchayat Samiti7,8551,074196
Zilla Parishad879312

 Fourth partyFifth party
  Hand INC.svg Indian Election Symbol Envelope.jpg
Leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Nawsad Siddique
Party INC ISF
Leader since20 September 202121 January 2021
Popular vote7%2%
SwingIncrease2.svg2%New
Gram Panchayat2,680543
Panchayat Samiti2930
Zilla Parishad141

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.

Contents

Schedule

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

Poll EventSchedule
Notification Date9 June 2023
Last Date for filing nomination15 June 2023
Last Date for Withdrawal of nomination20 June 2023
Date of Poll8 July 2023
Date of Counting of Votes11 July 2023

Parties and alliances

PartySymbolAlliance
Trinamool Congress AITC
All India Trinamool Congress symbol 2021.svg
Bharatiya Janata Party BJP
Lotus flower symbol.svg
Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M)
CPIM election symbol.png
Sanjukta Morcha
Indian National Congress INC
Hand INC.svg
All India Forward Bloc AIFB
Indian Election Symbol Lion.svg
Revolutionary Socialist Party RSP
Indian Election Symbol Spade and Stoker.png
Communist Party of India CPI
CPI symbol.svg
Indian Secular Front ISF
Indian Election Symbol Envelope.jpg
Nationalist Congress Party NCP
Nationalist Congress Party Election Symbol.png
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation CPI(ML)L
Flag Logo of CPIML.png
Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) SUCI(C)
SUCI flag.svg

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

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

Partywise

Vote share by Party
  1. AITC (51%)
  2. BJP (23%)
  3. LF (14%)
  4. INC (7%)
  5. ISF (1%)
  6. Others (4%)

Zilla Parishad wise

Corporation Election Data Published by State Election Commission of West Bengal [5]

No.Zilla ParishadTotal Seats
AITC BJP Sanjukta Morcha Others
CPI(M) INC ISF
1Cooch Behar3432200
2Alipurduar1818000
3Jalpaiguri2424000
4Uttar Dinajpur262300300
5Dakshin Dinajpur2121000
6Malda433440500
7Murshidabad787102500
8Nadia5246600
9North 24 Parganas6666000
10South 24 Parganas858400010
11Howrah4242000
12Hooghly5351200
13Purba Bardhaman6666000
14Paschim Bardhaman1818000
15Birbhum525100100
16Purba Medinipur70561400
17Paschim Medinipur6060000
18Jhargram1919000
19Purulia4542201
20Bankura5655100
Total9288793121411

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. [6] [7]

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured a second position in these polls and performed well in North Bengal. [8]

The Sanjukta Morcha alliance came third in these local bodies elections. [9] The ISF especially performed well in the areas where it contested, winning almost 50% of the seats contested. [10] The Left Front and INC also performed well in the Muslim-dominated Malda division. [9] Most notably Left Front pushed Bharatiya Janata Party to third spot in the Burdwan division after a long time since 2016.

Notes

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. 1 2 3 4 "West Bengal panchayat polls | Repolling in 696 booths on July 10; death toll rises to 18". The Hindu. 9 July 2023.
  5. "State Election Commission WB".
  6. "West Bengal panchayat election results: TMC sweeps, BJP second. 10 updates". Hindustan Times. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  7. "Bengal panchayat polls: TMC sweeps all but 2 hill dists; ISF impresses in stronghold". The Indian Express. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  8. "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.
  9. 1 2 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.
  10. "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.