The Bengal cabinet on Thursday approved appointments to nearly 7,000 vacant seats in gram panchayats and panchayat samitis at the earliest.

“These appointments will boost development at the grassroots level. The state will recruit 6,652 people to gram panchayats and 564 people to panchayat samitis,” said Manas Bhunia, the state water resources investigation and development minister.

The move is considered significant for two reasons.

First, the appointments will help the Trinamul Congress, in part, counter questions on the lack of job opportunities in Bengal ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Second, as these appointments would be in rural areas where employment opportunities are comparatively lower, it will give Trinamul an extra edge in countering the BJP’s campaign on the dearth of jobs in the state.

According to state government sources, the Trinamul-led state government has regularly been facing questions in the “Sorasori Mukhyomantri (direct to the chief minister) programme over the lack of job opportunities in Bengal.

Job creation by the Bengal government has been fraught in recent times as the schoolteacher recruitment drive has run into allegations of massive irregularities.

However, Trinamul is optimistic that after these 7,000 appointments, Trinamul can attack the BJP more strongly for holding up central government funds under the 100 days’ job scheme (MGNREGS). “Our party will be able to say that while it has been giving jobs to people in panchayats, the BJP has been holding up funds under the job scheme,” said a Trinamul source.