Relief for Mamata Banerjee: SC says no repoll in uncontested local body seats

New Delhi: In a major relief for Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that there would be no re-election for the uncontested seats of West Bengal Panchayat poll that the ruling party won in May.

Trinamool Congress won 20,178 of 58,692 panchayat seats without contest.

The opposition alleged of violence, terror tactics by the ruling party and said their candidates could not file nominations to contest those seats because of Trinamool Congress's bullying.

The plea was filed by BJP, CPI(M) in the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of panchayat polls over 20,000 uncontested seats.

The court however allowed those obstructed from filing nomination papers to challenge polls by filing election petitions.

"Keeping in view of the seriousness of allegations of nominations being stopped, Supreme Court allows individuals to take legal recourse," the judges said.

The apex court also allowed the Election Commission to notify winning candidates on uncontested seats.

The court had earlier restrained the poll body from notifying winning candidates on uncontested seats.