The West Bengal panchayat election results will be declared on Thursday. While there is no doubt that the TMC is bound to maintain its grip over the rural bodies, it remains to be seen if BJP is able to up its vote share from the three per cent it got in 2013 elections and whether the CPI(M) can turn a corner in a state it ruled for 34 years.
Re-polling at 568 panchayat polling booths across 19 districts in the state ended on Wednesday after opposition parties approached the State Election Commission citing the violence and booth rigging that marred the gram panchayat elections on Monday, which saw a voter turnout of 73 per cent.