Voting for the West Bengal Panchayat polls 2018 began at 7 am on Monday and will continue until 5 pm. The counting will take place on May 17. Catch the latest developments here
The single-phase West Bengal panchayat election is underway amid tight security. Several reports of clashes have emerged from various districts in which dozens of people have been injured. Further, violence broke out in North 24 Parganas, Burdwan, Coochbehar, and South 24 Parganas districts, killing three people and injuring at least 21.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) have blamed the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of violence during the ongoing West Bengal Panchayat election. Union Minister and BJP leader Babul Supriyo on Monday demanded President's rule in the state, while CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury urged the state election commission (SEC) to act in a way to restore faith in the election process.Amid the violence, the election witnessed 41.51 per cent voter turnout until 1 pm.It is the last major election in the state before next year's Lok Sabha elections.With 40 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats located in the districts, political parties are viewing Monday's polls as a warm-up match ahead of the 2019 general elections.The three-tier panchayat polls are being held in the state after a protracted legal battle in the Kolkata High Court and the Supreme Court involving the state election commission, the TMC, and opposition parties.In North 24 Parganas, a Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, worker and his wife were charred to death after their house was torched on Sunday night. There are allegations that TMC workers were behind the attack.Incidents of violence were also reported from Bhangar, where a media vehicle was torched and a camera broken. Subsequently, the media was prohibited from entering the area.Furthermore, Bhangar locals blocked the roads, alleging that TMC workers were capturing the polling booth.The counting will take place on May 17.
Here are the top developments on the panchayat polls currently underway in West Bengal:
1) Bengal govt is a shameless govt, says Union Minister Babul Supriyo: Demanding President's rule in the state, Supriyo said he was not surprised by all the incidents that have taken place since morning. "Bengal government is a shameless government, you cannot expect them to follow any kind of constitutional behaviour," Supriyo said.1) TMC worker shot dead: A TMC worker named Arif Gazi was on Monday shot dead in Kultali area of South 24 Parganas district, news agencies reported
2) Deaths in Nadia, North 24 Parganas district: A person named Taibur Gayen on Monday was killed and two others were injured after crude bombs were hurled at them, allegedly by TMC supporters, reported Hindustan Times. The news portal also reported the death of twenty-seven-old Sanjit Pramanik in Santipur of Nadia district due to bullet injuries received during clashes.
3) BJP candidate from Bilkanda attacked with a knife: BJP's Bilkanda candidate Raju Biswas was injured after being attacked with a knife, allegedly by TMC workers, news agencies reported.
4) Voting stopped in Shikarpur in Jalpaiguri: The state election commission has stopped voting in a booth in Shikarpur in Jalpaiguri district where ballot boxes were set on fire
.5) Violence across West Bengal: Violence was reported from various parts of West Bengal as the polling for the single-phase panchayat election was underway on Monday.Within less than two hours after the polling began, the state election commission received complaints of violence from at least four districts from different parts the state and asked the police to take action, officials said.
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