Police confirmed 10 deaths in poll-related violence, says West Bengal SEC

On Sunday, the West Bengal State Election Commission announced that the police had confirmed ten deaths in poll-related violence across the state.

According to the West Bengal State Election Commission, ten people were killed in poll-related violence on Saturday in various districts of West Bengal on the day of the Panchayat Polls. “Police have confirmed 10 deaths in poll-related violence,” the West Bengal State Election Commission said of the Panchayat elections.

Earlier today, Union Minister Nishith Pramanik slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for the widespread violence during the panchayat elections in West Bengal on Saturday, calling the single-phased votes a “festival of death” rather than a “festival of the republic.”

According to Pramanik, the Trinamool Congress government will not even release an accurate official count of deaths that have occurred across the state since the date for panchayat polls was announced.

The BJP leader, who hails from North Bengal, said, “This (the deaths and electoral violence) should not have happened. Elections are a festival of the republic but this time, the panchayat elections in Bengal turned out to be a festival of death. The state government will not even come out with an official data on the number of people who lost their lives since the panchayat elections in Bengal were announced.”