West Bengal Panchayat Polls: Voting gets underway; at least three killed after clashes break out

Poll-related violence in the state of West Bengal continues to take a heavy toll, with reports flagging the deaths of three Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers, in addition to members of other parties in the state.

Polling in the state got underway in the early hours of Saturday, even as reports of casualties continue to pour in.

Late on Friday, clashes broke out between TMC and Congress party workers, in the Murshidabad district, with the regional party reporting that three of its workers were killed in similar clashes across the state.


In addition to the loss of life, the scuffle saw a house vandalised. A team from the local police station reached the location after receiving word of the incident. Further details are awaited on the incident.

Reports say that local police were informed of bomb threats in the region, with the cops conducting multiple searches to find any possible explosives.

"We had received information about the presence of bombs and weapons here, but till now we have not found anything. A search operation is underway. We have come to know from sources that preparations are being made to create disturbance during polling. We have information that crude bombs have been hidden in the area and searches are underway to find them," Deputy superintendent of police Dibakar Das told ANI.

Multiple incidents of violence have been reported in the state in the run-up to the panchayat elections.

On July 1, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker was allegedly shot dead in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district. The deceased was found lying with a bullet injury on his head on the side of the road at Basanti police station.

Earlier, a TMC worker was allegedly beaten to death in the Malda district.

Saturday's polling will be the sole occasion, with votes set to be counted on July 11. The polls are likely to see a fierce tussle for control of local administrations between the ruling TMC and the BJP and will be a litmus test for both parties ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.

Inputs from ANI