Mamata may go for early panchayat polls in Bengal, hints her Bankura leaders about this

KOLKATA: Riding on her huge success in this year's assembly elections, chief minister Mamata Banerjee might go for early panchayatpolls in the state. She herself had indicated about this during a closed door meeting with her leaders in Bankura district on Tuesday. She toured Bankura for two days from Monday.
"Start preparations for panchayat elections immediately. It will take place at an appropriate time. But it can be held earlier also. So, get ready for this rural polls. This is very important for us before 2019 Lok Sabha elections," Mamata reportedly told her leaders in Bankura on Tuesday evening. She held the closed door meeting after holding the administrative meeting in the district on Tuesday.

Panchayat elections in Bengal is scheduled to take place in 2018. But after chief minister's hint about early polls, many in Trinamool Congress believe that Mamata might go for the polls during end of 2017. "Winter is a good time for holding elections because people need not sweat under scorching sun," said a senior party leader.

In 2013 panchayat elections, Trinamool Congress had won 13 of the total 17 zilla parishads in Bengal. The CPIM had won the Jalpaiguri zilla parishad and Murshidabad zilla parishad was captured by the Congress. But this year, Trinamool Congress managed to grab both the zilla parishads as majority of the elected members left their parties and joined Trinamool Congress. Naturally, no zilla parishad in Bengal is being run by the opposition parties now.

During this year's assembly polls, Mamata won 211 of the total 294 assembly seats in the state. Now her party runs all the zilla parishads in the state and riding on her twin success, she might go for early panchayatelections in the state which might take place during later part of next year.