Bengal Panchayat Polls: SEC Orders Repolling In Booths On July 10 After Voting Declared Void

The West Bengal state election commission was chastised on Saturday for allegedly failing to ensure a free and fair election procedure, following the deaths of 18 people on polling day amid allegations of booth capturing and rigging across the state.

The threat of violence arose soon after voting began at 7 AM. Clashes broke out across the districts, with reports of ballot papers being burned and votes being rigged.

Bengal Governor Flies To Delhi, Set To Submit Panchayat Poll Violence Report To Shah

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose flew to New Delhi on Sunday, where he is expected to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the violence that occurred during the state’s panchayat elections. 

On Saturday, at least 18 people were killed in the state during voting. “The governor is in Delhi. He is scheduled to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and submit a report on the panchayat elections held in West Bengal on Saturday,” an official familiar with the development told news agency PTI. 

According to the report, Bose is to meet Shah on Monday morning, adding that the governor has prepared a report on his thoughts after visiting violence-hit areas in the run-up to the rural polls.

On election day, the state governor visited several locations, mostly in the North 24 Parganas district, to assess the situation.

In addition, the governor had visited areas in the state where people had been killed during clashes between political parties in the run-up to the elections.

Before meeting family members of a victim in Dinhata, Cooch Behar, Bose had visited Bhangar and Canning in the South 24 Parganas district. In Basanti, he also met the relatives of another deceased person.

He has also established a ‘peace home’ at the Raj Bhavan to address common people’s grievances. Bose has accused State Election Commissioner (SEC) Rajiva Sinha of failing to carry out his responsibilities during the panchayat elections.