The Trinamool government in Bengal passed the West Bengal Panchayat (Amendment) Act, 2026, in the Assembly on Saturday to extend the tenure of office bearers in all three tiers of the panchayat up to three years from the date of their election, before which no meeting can be called for their removal.

The Pradhan and Upa-Pradhan in panchayats, Sabhapati and Sahakari Sabhapati in panchayat samitis, and the Sabhadhipati and Sahakari Sabhadhipati in the zilla parishads will come under the ambit of this new amendment, said sources.

Earlier, such office bearers could be removed from their posts within six months of their election.

However, in 2015, the Mamata Banerjee government extended this tenure to two-and-a-half years in 2015 through an amendment. On Saturday, the tenure increased to three years.

The decision was made for certain reasons, the amendment states, such as ensuring the stability of panchayat bodies for time-bound delivery of services to people, preventing the misuse of the provision to remove office bearers of panchayat bodies, and ensuring proper organisational dynamics of panchayat bodies for their effective functioning.

With Assembly elections around the corner, the move by the state government was significant, opined political observers.

They pointed out that in Bengal, the last panchayat elections were held in July 2023, and the office bearers assumed offices in different tiers by August 2023.

“The next rural polls are due in 2028. Under the earlier (2015) amendment, the office bearers could be removed through a no-confidence motion after two-and-a-half years, that is, from February this year onwards. The extension means that office bearers can continue till August this year and beyond, provided that the person has assumed the office after August 2023,” said a political expert.

“It seems that ahead of the polls, Trinamool wants to fortify the rural bodies and wants to prevent defections or any change of guard,” he added.

The move has also made the BJP react. Debjit Sarkar, the party’s chief spokesperson in Bengal, scoffed at Trinamool and said the party
was making preparations for its defeat.

“It proves that Trinamool has realised that it will not be able to form the government this time, and wants to retain control over the rural bodies through which it makes money by siphoning government funds,” Sarkar said.

Amal Haldar, a senior CPM leader who looks after the party’s farmers’ front, also said the move was motivated.

“Trinamool has forcibly gained control over the rural bodies. Also, there is infighting within the party over such control. It seems the party wants to stop this infighting from getting acute ahead of the Assembly elections,” Haldar said.

The Trinamool leadership rubbished these charges.

“This amendment is in the interest of development so that the office bearers can work properly. Also, it would prevent their rampant removal and would give them space and time to carry out development jobs,” said senior party leader Kunal Ghosh.

Additional reporting by Snehamoy Chakraborty in Calcutta