Kolkata, 08/07/2023: At least 11 people have been slain as rural West Bengal goes to the polls for the key three-tier panchayat elections today, which serve as a litmus test for the 2024 parliamentary elections and have the potential to transform the state’s political landscape.
Six Trinamool members were killed, as well as one worker from each of the BJP, Left, Congress, and ISF, and another whose political identification could not be determined.
This comes as voting began at 7 a.m. in 73,887 seats in the state’s rural districts, with 5.67 crore voters choosing between 2.06 lakh candidates for almost 928 seats spread among 22 zilla parishads, 9,730 panchayat samitis, and 63,229 gramme panchayats. The voter turnout was 36.66% until 1 p.m.
The ruling Trinamool Congress claimed a “colossal failure” on the part of central security forces. Aside from the violent conflicts that harmed numerous persons, voting boxes were smashed around the state.
Since the polls were announced on June 8, there has been significant violence across Bengal. As of now, fifteen individuals have perished, including a teenager. Governor CV Ananda Bose also toured various districts in the North 24 Parganas district, where he met with those hurt in the violence and spoke with voters.
