The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has suffered a major setback in Nandigram in East Midnapore district despite sweeping the West Bengal panchayat polls. In Nandigram, considered the stronghold of Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in Bengal Assembly, BJP has secured the upper hand in gram panchayat areas of Boyal-I, Boyal-II, Khodambari-I and Khodambari-II under Nandigram-II block.


Out of the total 61 gram panchayat seats there, BJP candidates have won or leading in 37 seats. TMC is second, with 23 seats and one seat has been won by an independent candidate.


In Boyal-I, BJP candidates have won eight of the 13 seats. In the previous polls, TMC had won all 13 seats. In Boyal-II, nine seats were bagged by BJP, while TMC won six. One seat went to an independent candidate. 


READ | 'TMC Resides In Hearts Of People': Mamata As Party Gains Huge Leads In Panchayat Polls


In Khodambari-I, BJP won eight out of 15 seats, followed by TMC with seven seats. In Khodambari-II, 12 out of 17 seats were won by BJP. TMC has won on five. 


Speaking on the BJP's performance in Nandigram, the epicentre of the 2007 anti-land-acquisition movement and violence that led to the downfall of the 34-year-old Left Front government, Suvendu Adhikari said the results reflect the fact that people have rejected TMC and opposed their "goons". 


"If this picture of Nandigram was visible in the entire state, TMC would have become a minority in most of the districts. But our fight against the ruling party TMC will continue," Adhikari said.


It must be noted that Adhikari, BJP MLA from Nandigram, defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by a margin of 1,956 votes in the 2021 Assembly elections. Banerjee later got elected from Bhabanipur in Kolkata in a by-election.


TMC Sweeps Bengal Panchayat Elections


The ruling Trinamool Congress secured a massive victory in the violence-scarred panchayat polls in Bengal, winning over 35,000 gram panchayat seats. BJP was a distant second, winning around 10,000 seats.


Mamata Banerjee took to Facebook to thank people people of West Bengal for the TMC's huge win. "It's TMC all the way in rural Bengal. I want to thank the people for their love, affection and support towards the TMC. This election has proved that only TMC resides in the heart of the people of the state," Banerjee said.