<p>Around 5.67 crore voters, in 22 districts, will have a chance to exercise their rights in West Bengal’s rural polls on Saturday.</p>.<p>Governor CV Ananda Bose, who has already made several field visits to areas hit by violence, was in Murshidabad on Friday to assess the situation in the region. Governor Bose, a day earlier, had made strong remarks about the state election commissioner. He has spoken several times about the violence affecting the common man, asking the authorities concerned to act.</p>.<p>The pre-poll phase has witnessed violence, and deaths in rural pockets, with the parties in power, and the Opposition pointing fingers at each other.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/wb-panchayat-polls-spectre-of-violent-past-haunts-nandigram-1234787.html" target="_blank">WB panchayat polls: Spectre of violent past haunts Nandigram</a></strong></p>.<p>Of the 61,636 booths, the polling is going to take place on 60,593 booths, with 1,043 booths out of the purview. These include uncontested seats.</p>.<p>Of the over 2 lakh candidates in the three-tier contest in 20, and a two-tier contest in 22 districts, the Trinamool – has close to 72,000 candidates. The BJP has over 46,000 candidates. </p>.<p>The “synoptic report on contesting candidates” also yields a cumulative figure (gram panchayat, panchayat samiti, zila parishad) of nearly 43,000 candidates for the CPI(M), and close to 15,000 candidates for the Congress.</p>.<p>While the rural polls are being considered a run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, issues concerning villages, unlike the state elections, have figured higher on the priority list of the parties – the two of these being the non-availability of central funds, and corruption.</p>.<p>The challenge before the Trinamool is to retain its earlier tally, whereas the BJP is looking at a larger share in the rural bodies. The CPI (M), and the Congress are also expecting better results in the current poll. </p>
<p>Around 5.67 crore voters, in 22 districts, will have a chance to exercise their rights in West Bengal’s rural polls on Saturday.</p>.<p>Governor CV Ananda Bose, who has already made several field visits to areas hit by violence, was in Murshidabad on Friday to assess the situation in the region. Governor Bose, a day earlier, had made strong remarks about the state election commissioner. He has spoken several times about the violence affecting the common man, asking the authorities concerned to act.</p>.<p>The pre-poll phase has witnessed violence, and deaths in rural pockets, with the parties in power, and the Opposition pointing fingers at each other.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/wb-panchayat-polls-spectre-of-violent-past-haunts-nandigram-1234787.html" target="_blank">WB panchayat polls: Spectre of violent past haunts Nandigram</a></strong></p>.<p>Of the 61,636 booths, the polling is going to take place on 60,593 booths, with 1,043 booths out of the purview. These include uncontested seats.</p>.<p>Of the over 2 lakh candidates in the three-tier contest in 20, and a two-tier contest in 22 districts, the Trinamool – has close to 72,000 candidates. The BJP has over 46,000 candidates. </p>.<p>The “synoptic report on contesting candidates” also yields a cumulative figure (gram panchayat, panchayat samiti, zila parishad) of nearly 43,000 candidates for the CPI(M), and close to 15,000 candidates for the Congress.</p>.<p>While the rural polls are being considered a run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, issues concerning villages, unlike the state elections, have figured higher on the priority list of the parties – the two of these being the non-availability of central funds, and corruption.</p>.<p>The challenge before the Trinamool is to retain its earlier tally, whereas the BJP is looking at a larger share in the rural bodies. The CPI (M), and the Congress are also expecting better results in the current poll. </p>