Congress leader Adhir Chowdhary shocked as TMC gains edge in WB panchayat election results

The West Bengal Panchayat election results have dealt a significant blow to Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary as the district of Murshidabad has witnessed a steady advance by Trinamool Congress candidates.

Historically, Murshidabad has been a stronghold for the Congress, especially during the Left's rule. However, the TMC has been engaged in a fierce battle with the Congress in the district for several years. In the latest results, the ruling TMC has successfully secured 255 out of 5593 gram panchayat constituencies in Murshidabad, leading by a significant margin.

In contrast, the Congress party's performance in the district has been far from satisfactory. So far, the Congress has won only 54 seats and is leading in an additional 102 seats. The Left has won 44 seats and is leading in 102 seats. The BJP's performance in the district has been poor, having won only 38 seats and leading in eight seats.

Independents have secured 14 seats and are leading in 22 seats. The TMC's dominance extends to the Panchayat Samiti level, where they are leading in 19 out of 748 seats. None of the opposition parties have managed to secure any seats in this category. The results for the Zilla Parishad are yet to be announced, leaving political experts surprised by the Congress party's performance in the district.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, who has been fighting to maintain his influence in the area, won only one out of three seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the previous assembly elections, the Congress failed to secure any of the 22 seats in the district, although they later won the Sagardighi seat in a by-election.

However, the Congress-Left supported candidate Byron Biswas, who won the seat, subsequently joined the TMC.

The opposition parties, however, allege that there has been a reign of TMC terror in the district for the past two months, with allegations of intimidation and obstruction during the nomination process. Despite the challenges, the Congress and other opposition parties consider their seat count as a moral victory.