The stage is set for the counting of votes in West Bengal after panchayat elections were conducted on two dates. The re-polling at 697 booths was conducted after the voting on July 8 was declared void in light of alleged rigging, booth capturing and multiple reports of electoral malfeasance and voter intimidation. The polls, which were dubbed as a test of popularity of the Mamata Banerjee government in light of multiple arrests in connection with the alleged teachers’ recruitment scam, saw several lives lost in the violence on July 8, the original polling day. The outcome of the polls would also give an indication of where the BJP, the principal opposition party in the state, stands in West Bengal ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections. According to the State Election Commission (SEC), the panchayat elections were conducted under tight security, with approximately 5.67 crore voters deciding the fates of 2.06 lakh candidates vying for 73,887 seats in the rural areas of West Bengal.