WEST BENGAL-Panchayat Elections-Class Mobilisation without Class Struggle


WEST BENGAL Panchayat Elections Class Mobilisation without Class Struggle Ajit Roy AS the polling figures far the recently held three-tier elections for the pan- chayats in West Bengal are yet to be available, no clear picture of shifts that may have taken place in the alignment of voters can be pieced to- gether at the moment; but the distribution of seats among parties undoubtedly points to considerable setbacks to the CPI(M) and its Left Front partners, compared with the results of the previous panchayat elections held in 1978. Although the CPI(M) alone has captured as before a majority of the total seats embracing the three tiers of 'gram panchayats'. 'panchayat samities' and 'Zila Pari- shads', its tally in the grand total of 54,192 seats, results for which have so far been declared, is 29,566 or 54.56 per cent, compared with 34,189 or 61.16 per cent out of the grand total of 55,902 in 1978. The Left Front as a whole has got 33,070 seats or 61.13 per cent of the total this time, compared with 39,112 or 60.97 per cent