After SC seal on walkovers, government sprints List of winners sent for printing

Mamata Banerjee at a police event in Calcutta on Friday. Picture by Gautam Bose

TT, Calcutta: The Bengal government has sent for printing the gazette notification formally declaring as winners the 20,159 candidates who bagged panchayat seats uncontested.

The list was sent on Friday, soon after the Supreme Court verdict went in favour of the government and the state election commission.

"The panchayat boards are expected to be formed across the state next week. The notification (on uncontested winners) will be issued as soon as it comes from the press," said a senior official.

The state panchayat department will impart training to the uncontested winners to run the rural boards. The training has already been completed for winners of seats in which elections took place.

"We could not train the uncontested winners because of the case (in the Supreme Court). Now it is not possible to train them before the formation of the boards. They will get the training after the boards are formed," said a senior official.

The rush to form the boards is seen as an indication that the Mamata Banerjee government is eager to restart development projects as early as possible, sources said. Such projects were stalled in almost 50 per cent of the state's 3,300 gram panchayat areas because of the legal uncertainty arising from the case in the Supreme Court.

"Work in rural areas have stopped since April when the rural poll notification was issued. Now, we want to undertake projects at the earliest," said a state minister.

A delay in the 100 days' job programme or housing schemes, for instance, affects the ruling party's prospects. "If people are not given work under the job plan or benefits of housing schemes, it would put us in trouble ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. So we want to form the boards and start the schemes at the earliest," said another minister.

Until projects under the 100-day scheme are approved by the panchayat boards, the villagers cannot be given jobs. "Villagers depend heavily on the scheme for their livelihood," said an official.

A Trinamul MLA said the party had made it clear it would not brook any delay in setting up the boards. "We have asked our district leaders that there should not be any delay. No infighting will be tolerated over portfolios. The panchayats will work for the benefit of people. We want to win all 42 seats in the Lok Sabha polls," said a Trinamul MLA.