Bengal panchayat polls: Coin flip decides winner on 344 seats
While the final results of the panchayat elections in West Bengal are yet to be declared, the fate of 344 seats in gram panchayats and panchayat samities was reportedly decided by a coin toss, The Indian Express reported. Opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of manipulating the results of the rural polls marred with widespread violence.
Why does this story matter?
The TMC will use the panchayat elections to gauge its public support ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party views winning over Bengal's rural heartland as "crucial" for securing the most parliamentary seats and having an influence on national politics the next year. Notably, the vote-counting process for the three-tier panchayat elections to more than 74,000 seats started on Tuesday morning.
267 gram panchayats, 13 panchayat samities show hung results
At least 267 gram panchayats and 13 panchayat samities have thrown hung results, reported TIE, citing sources in the State Election Commission (SEC). In the event of a tie among candidates, the only alternative is a coin toss to pick pradhans and up-pradhans. Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court put curbs on the announcement of results until it has heard petitions related to the polls.
Under TMC, tie means ruling party wins seat: Official
Interestingly, seats being decided by a toss is nothing unusual in rural polls, a senior Panchayat Department official told TIE. "Earlier, under the Left and the Congress regime too, a toss would be held, and in some cases, the ruling party manipulated the result," they said. However, they claimed, under the TMC regime, in case of a tie, the ruling party wins that seat.
What do panchayat rules say?
If two candidates get the same number of votes for a seat, the winner is chosen "by lot in such a manner as the Presiding Officer may deem fit" under Rule 3, Sub-Rule (7) of the West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1975. If two parties face a deadlock on votes, a coin flip is used to determine the results of a pradhan or up-pradhan.
BJP, Congress accuse TMC of manipulating results
Separately, BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya claimed the situation in West Bengal was unprecedented, blaming the TMC for violating democratic norms for power. Congress leader Soumya Aich accused the TMC of "manipulating" the results with the help of state police. TMC leader Joyprakash Majumder denied the allegations as baseless, saying forming a panchayat was an administrative task that would be done as per the law.
