Violence during village council elections in West Bengal, India, claimed the lives of 18 individuals, as reported by local media.
The state witnessed widespread incidents of violence, including booth capturing and vandalism, across various districts during the panchayat elections.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) party suffered the loss of 10 members, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress each lost three members, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) lost two members.
Both the opposition and ruling parties have accused each other for the deaths.
In response to the violence, the BJP has called for the imposition of President’s Rule, which involves the suspension of the state government and direct rule by the central government.
The party has also demanded re-elections in several areas.
The polling for the extensive 73,887 seats took place on Saturday, with nearly 57 million voters participating to determine the fate of over 200,000 candidates. The counting of votes is scheduled for July 11th.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose visited various areas in the North 24 Parganas district and met with injured victims of the violence, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI).
Meanwhile, Bengal State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha announced the formation of a panel to investigate complaints of vote tampering and violent incidents. Decisions regarding re-elections will be made based on reports from observers and returning officers.
