WB Panchayat Elections 2023: Sanjay Bansal Appointed As Additional State Election Commissioner

WB Panchayat Elections 2023 Live Updates: Follow ABP Live for the latest updates happening from West Bengal ahead of Panchayat Elections.

Background

WB Panchayat Elections 2023 Live Updates: Hello and welcome to ABP Live to get all the LIVE updates from the ground on the upcoming West Bengal Panchayat Polls 2023. High drama unfolded at the West Bengal State Election Commission (SEC) office on Wednesday, June 14, as BJP leaders tried to barge into the premises with party candidates who they claimed had failed to file their nominations for the rural polls due to alleged violence. They demanded that the SEC take steps to ensure free and fair elections. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), on the other hand, alleged that the BJP was staging a drama to divert attention from its failure to field candidates in all the seats.

The BJP leaders and the candidates attempted to enter the SEC office but were met with barricades and opposition from the police, leading to chaos outside the office. This led to jostling as BJP workers raised slogans against the State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for trying to "turn the election into a farce".

Meanwhile, violence continued to rock parts of West Bengal over the filing of nominations for the July 8 panchayat poll for the fifth consecutive day on Wednesday, as activists of the ruling TMC and opposition parties. Clashes were reported in parts of South 24 Parganas and Bankura districts prompting the police to use force to disperse the mobs.

TMC is gearing up to compete in the upcoming panchayat polls in West Bengal amidst a flurry of corruption allegations, with political analysts viewing these elections as a preliminary test for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While the TMC leadership recognizes that the dynamics of the Lok Sabha and village council elections may differ, they consider winning the rural heartland of Bengal as "crucial" for securing a maximum number of parliamentary seats and exerting influence in national politics next year.

Scheduled to take place on July 8, 2023, the state's three-tier panchayat elections will encompass a significant electorate of approximately 5.67 crores. Voters will exercise their franchise to select representatives for nearly 74,000 seats in Zilla Parishads, Panchayat Samitis, and Gram Panchayats. During the previous rural polls held five years ago, the TMC secured 90 per cent of the panchayat seats and won all 22 Zilla Parishads. 

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According to CPI(M), the deceased and the two others were supporters of the Left Front and Congress, who were shot at when they were on their way to the Chopra Block office for filing nominations. Read More

14:07 PM (IST)  •  15 Jun 2023

West Bengal Panchayat Polls: State Election Commission To Approach HC Over Deployment Of Central Forces

The SEC will be approaching a division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya on Thursday with a review petition. Read More

11:02 AM (IST)  •  15 Jun 2023

WB Panchayat Elections 2023: Sanjay Bansal Appointed As Additional State Election Commissioner

WB Panchayat Elections 2023: Sanjay Bansal has formerly served as the secretary to the state Backward Classes Welfare Department. Read More