Tragic Toll Rises to 23 as 3 More Workers Killed in Bengal Panchayat Polls, TMC Alleges Murders
Amidst tight security, the West Bengal panchayat election 2023 voting commenced, but unfortunately, three more deaths occurred, bringing the toll to 23 since the announcement of poll dates.
The voting for the West Bengal panchayat election 2023 started at 7 am on Saturday under heavy security measures. However, before the voting could begin, three individuals lost their lives in Murshidabad district, further adding to the toll of 23 fatalities since the announcement of the poll dates. West Bengal has witnessed a series of violent incidents in different parts of the state since June 8. In the latest tragic incident, Abdullah Ali was killed in Kadambagachi of North 24 Parganas in Murshidabad district, and another person lost their life in Beldanga of Murshidabad district.
In an unfortunate incident, a polling booth at Baravita Primary School in Sitai, Coochbehar, was vandalized, and the ballot papers were set ablaze.
The ruling party, Trinamool Congress (TMC), alleged that three of its party workers were “murdered” in Rejinagar, Tufanganj, and Khargram, and two others were left injured due to gunshots in Domkol.
Governor CV Ananda Bose Takes to the Streets Urging the rural population of Bengal to exercise their voting rights without fail, Governor CV Ananda Bose hit the streets on Saturday as soon as the voting began. He visited several polling booths in various districts.
His first stop was in North 24 Parganas. The governor described the panchayat polls as a “battle between ballots and bullets” and assured that he would monitor the situation across the state and take necessary corrective measures. A total of 2.06 lakh candidates are competing for 73,887 seats in the three-tier panchayat system in the state.
This election holds significance for political parties as it provides an opportunity to assess their organizational strengths and weaknesses ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It also serves as an indicator of the public sentiment in the state after two years of the TMC government’s third consecutive term.
There are 63,229 gram panchayat seats, 9,730 panchayat samiti seats in 22 districts, and 928 zilla parishad seats in 20 districts, including the two-tier system in Darjeeling and Kalimpong with the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and Siliguri Sub-divisional Council.
Long Queues Witnessed Outside Polling Booths Long queues were observed outside polling booths as early as 6 am, with people braving intermittent rains to cast their votes.
The ruling TMC is contesting all 928 seats in zilla parishads, 9,419 seats in panchayat samitis, and 61,591 seats in gram panchayats. The BJP has fielded candidates in 897 zilla parishad seats, 7,032 panchayat samiti seats, and 38,475 seats in gram panchayats.
The CPI(M) is fighting for 747 zilla parishad seats, 6,752 panchayat samiti seats, and 35,411 gram panchayat seats. The Congress is contesting 644 zilla parishad seats, 2,197 panchayat samiti seats, and 11,774 gram panchayat seats.
Approximately 600 central forces companies have been deployed for the elections, along with around 70,000 state police personnel.
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