By ANI
KOLKATA: Observing that perpetrators of pre-panchayat polls violence in West Bengal would be silenced and ‘victory in elections should depend on the count of votes, not the count of bodies’, Governor C V Ananda Bose on Friday visited Bhangar, in the South 24 Parganas district, to take stock of the situation.
The flare-up between two groups, at the minority dominated pocket, just ended with an array of skeletons of torched vehicles and unexploded crude bombs lying on roads. The death toll in the area rose to three on Friday and the Indian Secular Force, the outfit floated ahead of 2021 Assembly elections, claimed the victims were their workers.
After spending half-an-hour at the trouble-torn area, Bose said, “I interacted with the victims of violence and local people. I can assure the people of Bengal that violence will be the first victim in this election. The perpetrators of violence will be silenced permanently under the Constitutions and laws of the land.
Governor Bose further requested all the political parties and the people of Bengal to stand united and defend democracy in the state.
#WATCH | I interacted with the victims of violence and locals. I can assure the people of Bengal that violence will be the first victim in this election. The perpetrators of violence will be silenced in a permanent way under the Constitution and law of the land. Peace-loving… pic.twitter.com/U0XKioj77g
— ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2023
The final day of filing nominations witnessed continued clashes across various parts of the state, including an outbreak of violence at the Block Development Office in Birbhum’s Ahmadpur, where crude bombs were reportedly thrown. However, as per the officials, no casualties have been reported in the incident.
The panchayat polls in West Bengal are likely to see a fierce contest between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress being touted as a litmus test for both parties ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
Of the five deaths, three were reported from Bhangar and two from Murshidabad district.
#WATCH | West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose in Bhangar, South 24 Paraganas to assess the impact of recent violence during nominations for panchayat elections pic.twitter.com/rVOdt8HSB6
— ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2023
“This game of ‘Shaitan’ should end, will end. The beginning of the end will be in West Bengal,” the Governor had said.
Refuting the allegations of violence, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while addressing a rally in Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas, said one or two stray incidents took place.
Her comment came shortly after Bose’s Bhangar visit. “There is no other state other than Bengal where nominations for panchayat polls is so peaceful. The opposition parties are trying to blame us over one or two incidents during the nomination exercise,” Mamata said.
The panchayat polls, which will be held in one phase on July 8, are likely to witness a fierce contest between the TMC and opposition parties as the electoral exercise is being considered a litmus test for all forces to gauge their strength ahead of the 2024 LS elections.
(with inputs from IANS)
KOLKATA: Observing that perpetrators of pre-panchayat polls violence in West Bengal would be silenced and ‘victory in elections should depend on the count of votes, not the count of bodies’, Governor C V Ananda Bose on Friday visited Bhangar, in the South 24 Parganas district, to take stock of the situation.
The flare-up between two groups, at the minority dominated pocket, just ended with an array of skeletons of torched vehicles and unexploded crude bombs lying on roads. The death toll in the area rose to three on Friday and the Indian Secular Force, the outfit floated ahead of 2021 Assembly elections, claimed the victims were their workers.
After spending half-an-hour at the trouble-torn area, Bose said, “I interacted with the victims of violence and local people. I can assure the people of Bengal that violence will be the first victim in this election. The perpetrators of violence will be silenced permanently under the Constitutions and laws of the land.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Governor Bose further requested all the political parties and the people of Bengal to stand united and defend democracy in the state.
#WATCH | I interacted with the victims of violence and locals. I can assure the people of Bengal that violence will be the first victim in this election. The perpetrators of violence will be silenced in a permanent way under the Constitution and law of the land. Peace-loving… pic.twitter.com/U0XKioj77g
— ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2023
The final day of filing nominations witnessed continued clashes across various parts of the state, including an outbreak of violence at the Block Development Office in Birbhum’s Ahmadpur, where crude bombs were reportedly thrown. However, as per the officials, no casualties have been reported in the incident.
The panchayat polls in West Bengal are likely to see a fierce contest between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress being touted as a litmus test for both parties ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
Of the five deaths, three were reported from Bhangar and two from Murshidabad district.
#WATCH | West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose in Bhangar, South 24 Paraganas to assess the impact of recent violence during nominations for panchayat elections pic.twitter.com/rVOdt8HSB6
— ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2023
“This game of ‘Shaitan’ should end, will end. The beginning of the end will be in West Bengal,” the Governor had said.
Refuting the allegations of violence, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while addressing a rally in Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas, said one or two stray incidents took place.
Her comment came shortly after Bose’s Bhangar visit. “There is no other state other than Bengal where nominations for panchayat polls is so peaceful. The opposition parties are trying to blame us over one or two incidents during the nomination exercise,” Mamata said.
The panchayat polls, which will be held in one phase on July 8, are likely to witness a fierce contest between the TMC and opposition parties as the electoral exercise is being considered a litmus test for all forces to gauge their strength ahead of the 2024 LS elections.
(with inputs from IANS)
