BENGAL POLLS: Opposition leaders echo 'polls were a farce'

The SC observations sparked several political reactions in Kolkata, with the CPI(M) claiming it has been saying the same since the beginning. "We have been saying that there is no democracy at the grassroots level. The TMC and the TMC-led government had made a mockery of the Panchayati Raj. The term 'uncontested' is not right — state machinery and goons were used to prevent people from contesting the polls," said CPI(M) MP, Md Salim.

State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury, too, said that the court had reiterated their stance. "There has been a mockery of democracy. They did not even stick to the rules of cheating," Chowdhury said.

State BJP leadership, meanwhile, said the observations showed how helpless the SEC was. "It is clear from SC's observation that the state election commission was helpless and that the panchayat election was largely a farce," said BJP national secretary and former state president Rahul Sinha.

TMC leaders, however, said there was nothing to worry about. "It is only the observation of one court. This is not the judgement," said TMC MP Idris Ali.