SC verdict on panchayat poll victory of democracy, people: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: Dubbing the Supreme Court verdict on West Bengal panchayat poll as a "victory of democracy and of the people", Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday slammed the BJP, the Congress and the CPI(M) for "defaming" the state through false propaganda. It was a planned move by the three political parties to gain political advantage, Banerjee said.

Welcoming the Supreme Court's verdict, she said these parties had deliberately resorted to false propaganda. "I think it is a victory of democracy and victory of the people. I want to dedicate it to the people of the country," Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat.

She said the CPI(M) and the BJP moving the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of elections in over 20,000 uncontested local body seats in West Bengal had brought bad name to the state.

"It was a planned move by the CPI(M), the Congress and the BJP to malign the state and they have been doing it continuously," Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress chief, said.

The Supreme Court has turned down the pleas of the CPI(M) and the BJP seeking cancellation of elections on over 20,000 uncontested local body seats in West Bengal.

All the uncontested seats were won by candidates of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). The CPI(M) and the BJP, which opposed the contention of the state government, state poll panel and the TMC, had alleged that West Bengal did not witness a free and fair election and the candidates of these two parties were stopped from filing nomination papers.

Elections were held in phases for 48,650 posts in Gram Panchayats, 825 posts in Zilla Parishads and 9,217 posts in Panchayat Samitis and the TMC won about 34 per cent seats uncontested.