Panchayats and Left Politics in West Bengal

Panchayats and Left Politics in West Bengal Poromesh Acharya WEST BENGAL is going for anotner panchayat election by the end of May 1993. The Left Front is sure to win the election with an overwhelming majority. West Bengal has a three-tier panchayat system. On June 4, 1978, after 14 years, direct elections were held to elect 56,000 representatives for 15 zilIa parishads, 324 panchayat samitis and 3,242 gram panchayats under the West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973. According to the provisions of the 1973 Act, panchayats will have their normal terms of four years. It is to the credit of the Left Front government that panchayat elections are being held regularly since 1978.