Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) pulled off a spectacular victory in West Bengal rural polls, as it established an unassailable lead over its rival Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

According to the state Election Commission’s data till 10:30 pm on Tuesday, TMC was leading in 28,985 gram panchayat seats, the BJP won 7,764 seats, whereas the Communist Party of India (Marxist) won 2,409 seats and the Congress won 2,022 seats. The counting is still underway.

The elections were hugely anticipated by many as they were considered the bell weather for the 2024 general elections.

The counting of votes for the three-tier panchayat polls, which saw a multi-front battle for 74,000 seats, began on Tuesday morning.

<h2>Violence across West Bengal</h2>

The election was marred with violence and at least 15 people lost their lives. The polling body had to announce re-elections on 696 booths on Monday amid allegations of ballot box tampering.

The situation was no different on Tuesday morning, as local media reported that bombs were hurled near a counting centre in Murshidabad and the police resorted to baton-charge to control crowds in Howrah.

<h2>Mamata thanks people</h2>

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee thanked the people of West Bengal for the TMC's huge win in the panchayat elections.

"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 in a Facebook post.

Senior TMC leader and Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee also thanked the people of rural West Bengal for handing the party a spectacular victory.

Taking a dig at the leader of the opposition, BJP‘s Suvendu Adhikari, he said the campaign of "No Vote to Mamata" has turned into "Now Vote for Mamata".

"Grateful to the people for converting Oppn's 'NO VOTE TO MAMATA' campaign to 'NOW VOTE FOR MAMATA.' With unwavering support to #TrinamooleNaboJowar, we'll surely have a roaring mandate, paving the way for LS elections. Bengal, I thank you for all the love (sic)," he tweeted.

<h2>BJP blames TMC for violence</h2>

The BJP, on the other hand, accused the state government of using violence to its advantage to win the elections.

“We have no hope from this election (panchayat election) after the kind of violence that took place earlier. This is not a mandate because Mamta Banerjee's goons forcefully got the polls done. The central security force was not allowed to reach, and there were no CCTVs in the polling stations. We have lost in many centres by 2,4,24 votes. Our victory in West Bengal is that people are coming on the road to defeat TMC,” West Bengal BJP General Secretary Agnimitra Paul said.

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Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) pulled off a spectacular victory in West Bengal rural polls, as it established an unassailable lead over its rival Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) pulled off a spectacular victory in West Bengal rural polls, as it established an unassailable lead over its rival Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). According to the state Election Commission’s data till 10:30 pm on Tuesday, TMC was leading in 28,985 gram panchayat seats, the BJP won 7,764 seats, whereas the Communist Party of India (Marxist) won 2,409 seats and the Congress won 2,022 seats. The counting is still underway. The elections were hugely anticipated by many as they were considered the bell weather for the 2024 general elections. The counting of votes for the three-tier panchayat polls, which saw a multi-front battle for 74,000 seats, began on Tuesday morning. Violence across West Bengal The election was marred with violence and at least 15 people lost their lives. The polling body had to announce re-elections on 696 booths on Monday amid allegations of ballot box tampering. The situation was no different on Tuesday morning, as local media reported that bombs were hurled near a counting centre in Murshidabad and the police resorted to baton-charge to control crowds in Howrah. Mamata thanks people Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee thanked the people of West Bengal for the TMC's huge win in the panchayat elections. "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 in a Facebook post. Senior TMC leader and Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee also thanked the people of rural West Bengal for handing the party a spectacular victory. Taking a dig at the leader of the opposition, BJP‘s Suvendu Adhikari, he said the campaign of "No Vote to Mamata" has turned into "Now Vote for Mamata". "Grateful to the people for converting Oppn's 'NO VOTE TO MAMATA' campaign to 'NOW VOTE FOR MAMATA.' With unwavering support to #TrinamooleNaboJowar, we'll surely have a roaring mandate, paving the way for LS elections. Bengal, I thank you for all the love (sic)," he tweeted. BJP blames TMC for violence The BJP, on the other hand, accused the state government of using violence to its advantage to win the elections. “We have no hope from this election (panchayat election) after the kind of violence that took place earlier. This is not a mandate because Mamta Banerjee's goons forcefully got the polls done. The central security force was not allowed to reach, and there were no CCTVs in the polling stations. We have lost in many centres by 2,4,24 votes. Our victory in West Bengal is that people are coming on the road to defeat TMC,” West Bengal BJP General Secretary Agnimitra Paul said. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Mamata Banerjee’s TMC outclasses BJP in West Bengal panchayat polls

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To avoid any attempt of horse trading by the Bhartiya Janata Party the Congress and JD(S) were shifting their MLAs from Bengaluru to Hyderabad, JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy said.&nbsp;

He said, "We have to take some caution. To stop horse-trading, they(MLAs) are moving together. All MLAs (JD(S) and Congress) are travelling on the bus, they are going to stay in the same place".

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Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa faces his first big test in the Supreme Court today. The top court will resume hearing a petition challenging Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's invitation to Yeddyurappa to become chief minister.

In the May 12 polls, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 members, while Congress secured 78, the JD(S) 37 and others three.

The BJP insists it should stake claim to form the government by virtue of being the single largest party while the Congress, which has struck a post-poll alliance with the JD(S), says they have 116 seats, four more than the half-way mark.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/jammu-and-kashmir-1-bsf-soldier-killed-in-ceasefire-violation-by-pakistan-137822">Jammu and Kashmir: 1 BSF soldier killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistan</a>

A soldier from the Border Security Force lost his life in a ceasefire violation after the Pakistani troops opened fire in the RS Pura sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

The soldier killed in the violation hailed from Jharkhand and is survived by a three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.&nbsp;

The ceasefire violation across the international border also led to injuries of two civilians and one soldier.

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US President Donald Trump sought on Thursday to placate North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un after Pyongyang threatened to scrap an unprecedented summit, saying Kim`s security would be guaranteed in any deal and his country would not suffer the fate of Muammar Gaddafi`s Libya, unless that could not be reached.

In rambling remarks in the White House`s Oval Office in which he also sharply criticized China over trade, Trump said that as far as he knew the meeting with Kim was still on track, but that the North Korean leader was possibly being influenced by Beijing after two recent visits he made there.&nbsp;

Trump distanced himself from comments by his national security adviser John Bolton that North Korea angrily denounced when casting doubt on the summit, which is planned for June 12 in Singapore.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/west-bengal-panchayat-polls-tmc-races-ahead-bjp-main-rival-137829">West Bengal panchayat polls: TMC races ahead, BJP main rival</a>

The ruling Trinamool Congress is headed for a massive victory in West Bengal's rural polls, bagging 20,848 seats in the three-tier polls, while the BJP emerged as its main rival, according to the results declared till 1 am.

State Election Commission (SEC) sources said the TMC was ahead in another 148 gram panchayat seats for which counting was in progress.

The BJP has won 5,636 seats and is leading in 21 seats, they said.

 
&nbsp;

Karnataka: Congress, JD(S) shift MLAs from Bengaluru 'to avoid horse trading' To avoid any attempt of horse trading by the Bhartiya Janata Party the Congress and JD(S) were shifting their MLAs from Bengaluru to Hyderabad, JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy said. He said, "We have to take some caution. To stop horse-trading, they(MLAs) are moving together. All MLAs (JD(S) and Congress) are travelling on the bus, they are going to stay in the same place". Supreme Court to hear plea challenging invitation to Yeddyurappa to be chief minister Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa faces his first big test in the Supreme Court today. The top court will resume hearing a petition challenging Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's invitation to Yeddyurappa to become chief minister. In the May 12 polls, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 members, while Congress secured 78, the JD(S) 37 and others three. The BJP insists it should stake claim to form the government by virtue of being the single largest party while the Congress, which has struck a post-poll alliance with the JD(S), says they have 116 seats, four more than the half-way mark. Jammu and Kashmir: 1 BSF soldier killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistan A soldier from the Border Security Force lost his life in a ceasefire violation after the Pakistani troops opened fire in the RS Pura sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. The soldier killed in the violation hailed from Jharkhand and is survived by a three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son. The ceasefire violation across the international border also led to injuries of two civilians and one soldier. Trump seeks to placate North Korea's Kim over uncertain summit US President Donald Trump sought on Thursday to placate North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un after Pyongyang threatened to scrap an unprecedented summit, saying Kim`s security would be guaranteed in any deal and his country would not suffer the fate of Muammar Gaddafi`s Libya, unless that could not be reached. In rambling remarks in the White House`s Oval Office in which he also sharply criticized China over trade, Trump said that as far as he knew the meeting with Kim was still on track, but that the North Korean leader was possibly being influenced by Beijing after two recent visits he made there. Trump distanced himself from comments by his national security adviser John Bolton that North Korea angrily denounced when casting doubt on the summit, which is planned for June 12 in Singapore. West Bengal panchayat polls: TMC races ahead, BJP main rival The ruling Trinamool Congress is headed for a massive victory in West Bengal's rural polls, bagging 20,848 seats in the three-tier polls, while the BJP emerged as its main rival, according to the results declared till 1 am. State Election Commission (SEC) sources said the TMC was ahead in another 148 gram panchayat seats for which counting was in progress. The BJP has won 5,636 seats and is leading in 21 seats, they said.

News brief: Big stories of the day

The ruling Trinamool Congress today darted ahead in 1,800 gram panchayat seats while the BJP and the CPI(M) were leading in 100 and 30 gram panchayat seats, as per initial trends available at 10 am, SEC officials said.

The counting of votes began at 8 am amid tight security, the State Election Commission officials said.

The panchayat elections were held for 621 zilla parishads, 6,123 panchayat samitis and 31,802 gram panchayats in West Bengal on May 14.

Of the 48,650 seats in 3,358 gram panchayats, 16,814 were uncontested and of the 9,217 seats in 341 panchayat samitis, 3,059 were uncontested. In the 20 zilla parishads, 203 of the 825 seats were uncontested, the sources said.&nbsp

The voting was also marred by widespread violence which led to 568 booths in the state to undergo repolling.

The huge-scale clashes between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers, resulted in the death of at least 12 people.

(With inputs from PTI)

The ruling Trinamool Congress today darted ahead in 1,800 gram panchayat seats while the BJP and the CPI(M) were leading in 100 and 30 gram panchayat seats

The ruling Trinamool Congress today darted ahead in 1,800 gram panchayat seats while the BJP and the CPI(M) were leading in 100 and 30 gram panchayat seats, as per initial trends available at 10 am, SEC officials said. The counting of votes began at 8 am amid tight security, the State Election Commission officials said. The panchayat elections were held for 621 zilla parishads, 6,123 panchayat samitis and 31,802 gram panchayats in West Bengal on May 14. Of the 48,650 seats in 3,358 gram panchayats, 16,814 were uncontested and of the 9,217 seats in 341 panchayat samitis, 3,059 were uncontested. In the 20 zilla parishads, 203 of the 825 seats were uncontested, the sources said. The voting was also marred by widespread violence which led to 568 booths in the state to undergo repolling. The huge-scale clashes between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers, resulted in the death of at least 12 people. (With inputs from PTI)

West Bengal panchayat polls: Early trends show Trinamool Congress leading