West Bengal panchayat polls: Supriyo calls for President's rule; updates
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
Elections News: 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.
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.
Read More About Panchayat Polls
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