Bengal panchayat elections: In the wake of the panchayat elections in West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has announced a new mass outreach programme from April 25 in order to woo rural populations in the state.
Speaking to the media, senior party leader Abhishek Banerjee said that the programme has been named 'Trinamooley Nabajowar' (new wave in Trinamool), and will continue for two months. As a part of the programme, people will be deciding TMC candidates for the panchayat polls, he said.
BJP accuses TMC of indulging in corruption
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has made several allegations against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led party ahead of polls. Speaking to reporters on April 14, Union Minister Anurag Thakur accused the TMC government of corruption in connection with the mid-day meal scheme.
On opposition parties' efforts to stitch up an alliance in order to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Union information and broadcasting minister said all parties immersed in corruption are holding each other's hands, but their corrupt face is visible to the public.
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'Panchayat elections will be free and fair'
Earlier, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose assured that the upcoming panchayat elections in the state will be free and fair. The governor said there will be "zero tolerance" towards corruption and nobody will be allowed to take the law into their hands in the state.
"The governor ensures that he is accessible to the common man. As far as corruption is concerned, there will be a zero-tolerance policy. Nobody will be allowed to take the law into their own hands," a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan said.
"Law and order will be scrupulously maintained and at the appropriate time, effective and proactive intervention will be done. Violence has no place in elections and free and fair polls will be ensured in the upcoming panchayat elections," it added.
It should be mentioned here that the upcoming panchayat elections are being seen as a litmus test for both the TMC and the Opposition BJP ahead of the 2024 general elections.
(With inputs from agencies)
