The Supreme Court on Friday turned down the pleas seeking cancellation of elections to over 20,000 uncontested local body seats in West Bengal.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud,however allowed those obstructed from filing nomination papers to challenge polls by filing election petitions.

The Apex court was hearing pleas by parties like the CPI (M) and the BJP alleging that candidates from ruling All India Trinmool Congress were only allowed to file nomination papers.

The Court held that the limitation period of 30 days for filing the election petitions would commence from the date of notification of panchayat poll results.

Elections were held in phases for 48,650 posts in Gram Panchayats, 825 posts in Zilla Parishads and 9,217 posts in Panchayat Samitis in West Bengal.

It has been alleged that around 34 per cent seats were uncontested. All these uncontested seats were won unopposed by candidates of the ruling Trinamool Congress. Opposition parties had alleged that their candidates were obstructed from filing nomination papers.