Alipurduar: TMC swept the Panchayat polls in Alipurduar. Out of a total of 64 Gram Panchayats in Alipurduar, the TMC secured 55 Gram Panchayats, while the BJP won only 3, and 6 Panchayats are hung.
Out of the total 1252 seats in the Panchayat, TMC has secured 799 seats, BJP secured 396, CPI(M) 9 and others have secured 29 seats.
The TMC also got a majority in all 6 Panchayat Samities of the district. Out of the 189 seats in the 6 Panchayat Samities, TMC won 141 seats, BJP got 47 seats, and others secured 1 seat. Furthermore, the TMC gained complete control of the Alipurduar Zilla Parishad by securing all 18 seats.
This victory for the TMC comes at the expense of the BJP, as their number of GP has decreased compared to the 2018 Panchayat elections.
In 2018, the BJP had a majority in 8 GPs, but this time it has decreased to 3. They also lost their Zilla Parishad member and failed to secure any PS seats, marking a significant decline.
The BJP had gained ground in the Alipurduar district in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when they secured the parliamentary seat with a lead of approximately 2.5 lakh votes.
This success continued in the 2021 Assembly polls, winning all 5 seats in the district.
Despite BJP’s success in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, it was anticipated that the party would perform well in the 2023 Panchayat elections.
However, the TMC has made a comeback in 2023. The frequent visits of front-rung TMC leaders, including Abhishek Banerjee along with welfare schemes launched by the TMC-led state have contributed to the TMC’s resurgence, feel political observers.
Mridual Goswami, chairman of the Alipurduar district TMC, attributed the party’s success to Mamata Banerjee’s initiatives, such as land rights, Cha Sundari housing scheme etc.
He stated: “The BJP made promises to the common people before the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections regarding their development. People were misled by BJP’s commitments and voted for them. Despite having one MP and four MLAs from BJP, they have failed to keep their promises for the past four years.”
However, Manoj Tigga, BJP MLA from Madarihat alleged that the TMC manipulated the voting process. He claimed that most booths were unprotected and lacked Central forces, suggesting that a free and fair election would have resulted in BJP’s victory.