Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine suffered a humiliating defeat in zilla parishad and panchayat samiti at the hands of Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPM)-led Left Front which made a clean sweep in 15 of the 17 zilla parishads in West Bengal's panchayat elections even as the Congress improved its performance.

The Left Front's victory march was halted in Murshidabad and Malda by Congress as the party captured the 60-member Murshidabad zilla parishad bagging 33 seats. In Malda zilla parishad, the LF was unseated as its tally of seats was lower than the combined Opposition.

In the 33-member zilla parishad, Congress alone bagged 15 seats, while TC-BJP won one seat each.

The CPM-led LF won 610 out of 713 seats capturing 15 zilla parishads. The Congress won in 69 seats, while TC-BJP could win in only 21. Twelve seats went to other smaller parties and independents, while election was not held in one seat in Jalpaiguri due to the death of a candidate.

The Front retained control in Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas, Burdwan, Howrah, Hooghly, Coochbehar, Purulia, East and West Midnapore, Birbhum, Jalpaiguri, Bankura, North and South Dinajpur zilla parishads.

The Left Front maintained its supremacy in the panchayat samiti also bagging 5,084 of the 6,953 seats, results of which were declared so far. The samiti has a total seat of 8,500.

In the panchayat samiti also, Congress left TC-BJP behind securing 920 seats against 810 captured by the combine.

Of the 15,910 gram panchayat seats declared so far, the Left Front won 13,191 seats, of which about 6,000 were uncontested. The Congress won in 1314 seats, while TC-BJP combine won 1030 seats. Others won in 375 seats.

PTI