West Bengal Election Live Updates: 10 Killed In Election-related Violence, Polling Booths Set On Fire- WATCH VIDEOS

At least 10 people were killed in election-related violence as polling for the West Bengal panchayat elections began on Saturday. Polling booths were vandalised and ballot papers set on fire at places as people queued up to vote for the crucial three-tier panchayat polls, which serve as a litmus test for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Among those killed were seven Trinamool Congress (TMC) members and one worker each of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress.

Three TMC members and a Congress worker were killed in Murshidabad while two (one each from BJP and TMC) died in Cooch Behar. One CPI(M) worker and a TMC worker were killed in East Burdwan. One from TMC died in Malda while another TMC worker lost his life in South 24 ParganasPolling began at 7 am on Saturday amid tight security for the West Bengal panchayat elections, in which about 5.67 crore people living in the state’s rural areas are eligible to vote, officials said.

Political parties condemn panchayat poll related deaths in Bengal

Cutting across ideological lines, all parties in West Bengal on Saturday condemned the killing of nine people in various parts of the state as voting for the panchayat elections is underway. The opposition BJP and CPI(M) alleged that the State Election Commission (SEC) did not deploy the central forces as per the orders of the Calcutta High Court.

TMC goons openly brandish gun and threaten an independent candidate in Barrackpore, North 24 Parganas.

9 people have died since morning and no one knows how many more will die through the day. SEC and Mamata Banerjee are responsible for this bloodshed. They didn’t deploy CAPF… pic.twitter.com/t5XjDl6c1c

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 8, 2023

This Panchayat Poll in Bengal has seen it all : a missing SEC, who has wilfully colluded with the ruling TMC to subvert the election, contempt of Courts, mishandled deployment of CAPF by the state administration, despite force being on ground, booth capturing, which started as… pic.twitter.com/COFIQdyc8S

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 8, 2023

Ramanavami saw widespread violence in Bengal. Mamata Banerjee was incharge of Police. Six days later, Hanumanotsav saw no violence at all. Because CAPF had been deployed.

Move forward to Panchayat Polls…

SEC and WB Govt went to Supreme Court to stop deployment of CAPF. Despite… pic.twitter.com/ynRhWGMrpU

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 8, 2023