West Bengal Panchayat Election 2023 Live Updates: Violence rocks panchayat polls, 16 dead amidst allegations of strong-arm tactics

West Bengal Panchayat Polls 2023 Live: Violence rocked West Bengal's rural polls as voting ended on Saturday leaving 16 people dead, ballot boxes vandalised and bombs thrown at rivals in a number of villages.Saturday's events were in keeping with the state's history of violent elections, including the 2003 panchayat polls which gained notoriety for its death toll of 76 during the course of the election process, with more than 40 killed on the day of the elections.With 30 dead since polls were announced earlier last month, this year's bloodied election also closely followed the 2018 panchayat poll violence pattern a similar number of people were left dead.The polling began at 7 am in 73,887 seats in the rural areas of the state with 5.67 crore people deciding the fate of around 2.06 lakh candidates. Till 5 pm, 66.28 per cent voter turnout was recorded, officials said. State Election Commissioner (SEC) Rajiva Sinha on Saturday promised to look into complaints of vote tampering and to take a decision on possible re-polling after receiving reports from observers and returning officers.Sinha said the most number of complaints on incidents of violence during the day's polling came from four districts, and they would all be taken into account while reviewing the poll process.The SEC, who had to face a lot of flak from various political parties, said that a decision on re-polling would be taken on Sunday when observers and returning officers would scrutinise and review the polling process.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said that more than 12 people have lost their lives so far in the violence that broke out in several areas in West Bengal on panchayat poll day."Violence has broken out in full swing in the Bengal gram panchayat elections being held today. More than 12 people have died so far and a large number of them have been injured," BJP MP Prasad said.Targeting West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the BJP MP asked, "Where have you taken Bengal today?" Ravi Shankar Prasad harked back to history to compare the state of Bengal during the nationalist movement with that of the present situation."Once Bengal was the mother of democracy, the center of nationalist aspirations. It was the Bengal of Subhash Chandra Bose, it was the Bengal of Rabindranath Tagore, and it was the Bengal of Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar. Is it essential that someone needs to die if an election is held?" he asked. (ANI)

The three-tier panchayat polls in West Bengal, upheld the region's enduring tradition of violence, resulting in the loss of 12 lives on Saturday and a total toll of 30 in the month following the announcement of the elections. However, compared to previous panchayat polls this figure is an "improvement" if it can be called that.

The 2003 panchayat polls gained notoriety for its death toll of 76, with more than 40 killed on the day of the elections.

The 2013 rural polls, held under the supervision of central forces, recorded a casualty figure of 39. While the last panchayat poll held under the supervision of the state police recorded a death toll for the election process period of 30.

In Saturday's violence, twelve people, including eight from the ruling TMC and one worker each of the BJP, CPI(M), Congress and ISF, died since midnight in the crucial three-tier panchayat polls, officials said.

"We condemn any death or incident of violence. But the fact is elections have been more or less peaceful in majority areas of the state, which the media and the opposition are not talking about," TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, defending the state's record. (PTI)

All parties in West Bengal leveled allegations against each other for the violence that claimed the lives of 12 people in various districts as voting for the three-tier panchayat elections ended at 5pm, even as the opposition BJP called for President's Rule in the state.

The party, which blamed the State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha for poll related deaths, shot off a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding his "intervention" in restoring democracy in the state alleging democracy has been "murdered in the state by the ruling party as the security forces played the role of an audience."

The ruling Trinamool Congress, which lost eight of its supporters to poll violence, however accused the opposition of orchestrating violence and criticised the central forces for their failure to protect the voters.

In the letter signed by BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar it was claimed "15 political deaths occurred just on the day of poll," as booth capturing, rigging and fake voting were seen across all the districts."

He said TMC goons were "proactive in snatching voter/Aadhaar cards of the common voters as several karyakartas faced false cases and others were hospitalised."

Majumdar claimed very few booths were covered by central armed paramilitary forces, while the rest were manned by police and civic volunteers.

Leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said, "A free and fair election under the state administration is a mirage. It is only possible only if elections are held under President's Rule or Article 355," he told reporters.

Dismissing allegations of the state administration letting loose a reign of terror, state minister Bratya Basu claimed that it is the Trinamool Congress that has been at the "receiving end of the violence perpetuated by the opposition". (PTI)

Amid the widespread violence in West Bengal during the panchayat poll on Saturday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ajoy Ray claimed that three BJP workers were allegedly shot at by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers in Cooch Behar's Dinhata.

Ray said that violence had broken out in Dinhata from the morning as BJP workers were not allowed to enter booths and were beaten up by Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons.

"From the morning our workers were not allowed to enter the booths. They were beaten in every place. One woman in the village has got a bullet injury on her stomach, one of our workers also got a bullet injury on his chest. There were instances of bombing and firing as well. Another man got hit by a bullet in his hand. The husband of one of the candidates was thrown down on the ground and kicked," the BJP leader said. (ANI)

Ajoy Ray stated that violence had gripped Dinhata ever since voting was announced and alleged that the police are not acting on them.

A voter turnout of 66.2 percent was recorded till 5pm in West Bengal panchayat elections, as per Election Commission data.

The BJP lashed out at the TMC government in West Bengal over the violence in Panchayat polls on Saturday, saying it considers "murders" as its guarantee to power and that the state's "bomb culture" is shaming India and its democracy the world over. Hitting out at chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Union minister Anurag Thakur said she cannot preside over an election in the state "without killings and chaos". "How low will she stoop to establish her party's dominance in the panchayat polls," he asked.

In a statement, Thakur said law and order has crumbled in the state as "over 12 people" have been killed during the polls."Under Mamata Banerjee, the TMC believes that murders are its guarantee to power. Bengal's bomb culture is shaming India and its democracy the world over," the Information and Broadcasting Minister said.

He also slammed the use of ballot boxes instead of EVMs in the polls and noted the sight of goons running away with these boxes. "Rigging is taking place and people being killed to establish dominance," he alleged.

The death in election-related violence in West Bengal rose to 14. The voting is under way for the three-tier panchayat polls in the state.

Reacting to the incidents of violence being reported from various parts of West Bengal, state Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday claimed that the Central forces have not been deployed and alleged that the violence is the result of state police's "collusion" with TMC goons.

"This is not an election, this is death. There is a fire of violence across the state. Central forces have not been deployed. CCTVs are not operating. This is not voting but loot...This is the collusion of TMC goons and Police and that is why so murders are happening," Adhikari said while talking to ANI.

Adhikari cast his vote for the panchayat election at a polling booth in Nandigarm.

The death in election-related violence in West Bengal rose to 12. The voting is under way for the three-tier panchayat polls in the state.

A booth agent of an independent candidate and a polling agent of a BJP were allegedly killed in two separate violence-related incidents during voting for single-phase panchayat elections in West Bengal on Saturday.

The booth agent of an independent candidate was allegedly killed in Piragachha of North 24 Parganas district, according to reports. The deceased has been identified as Abdullah, and locals alleged that the husband of a Trinamool Congress candidate was behind the "murder". (ANI)

Cutting across ideological lines, all parties in West Bengal on Saturday condemned the killing of 11 people in various districts as voting for the panchayat elections is under way, while the opposition BJP called for President's Rule in the state. The ruling Trinamool Congress, which lost six of its supporters to poll violence, accused the opposition of instigating violence and criticised the central forces for their failure to protect the voters.

State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury, on the other hand, alleged that TMC goons are having a free run and people's mandate has been looted.

The CPI(M)'s West Bengal secretary Md Salim claimed that the central force was not properly mobilised.

Among those killed since midnight were six TMC members, and one worker each of the BJP, CPI(M), Congress and the ISF, and another person whose political identity could not be known.

Senior state minister Sashi Panja said, "Shocking incidents are being reported since last night. BJP, CPI(M) and Congress had colluded, demanding central forces. Where are they deployed? TMC workers are being murdered. Where are the central forces?"

In a statement, the TMC said 27 people were killed since the panchayat elections were announced on June 8 and 17 of them are from Trinamool, which is over 60 per cent of the total fatalities. (PTI)

Two children were injured in a blast in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday which happened when they picked up a crude bomb from the roadside mistaking it to be a ball, officials said. The incident happened in Bhangor amid the polling for panchayat elections in the state, they said.