Bengal: BJP delegation to visit areas today affected by violence during Panchayat poll

New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) four-member fact-finding committee with MP Ravishankar Prasad as its convenor will visit the violence-affected areas in West Bengal during the Panchayat polls on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the BJP constituted a four-member fact-finding committee in the wake of the widespread violence during the Panchayat elections in the state.
Prasad earlier stated that the committee will visit the state and submit the report to the President, Droupadi Murmu.

Before leaving for Bengal, he said that he will visit all the affected areas, and meet those who were tortured and victimised.

“BJP National President JP Nadda has appointed a team of Parliamentarians, of which I am the convener, which is going to visit all the areas affected by rampant violence, killing, bomb blast in the wake of gram panchayat elections in Bengal. We propose to visit all the affected areas, meet those who are tortured and victimised,” said the BJP MP.

He added, “Why should more than 40 people lose their lives in the gram panchayat election? Why the so-called colleagues who are trying to forge an alliance against Narendra Modi are maintaining a conspicuous silence? We will visit and submit our report to the President. I hope the Mamata government will allow us to visit the affected areas?”

Violence broke out in West Bengal ahead of the Gram Panchayat elections which was previously to be held on July 8. However, the voting day was marred with widespread violence, looting of ballots papers and rigging. There were reports of booth capturing, damaging of ballot boxes and assault of presiding officers from several districts such as Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur and Nadia.

Reports also emerged of ballot boxes being set on fire and clashes between political parties in different locations.

As a result, the State Election Commission announced the re-pollling of Panchayat election on July 10. So, it concluded on Monday and the counting was carried out on Tuesday, July 11.

The Trinamool Congress won in 28,985 and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 7,764 seats while Congress has secured 2,022 seats so far. TMC was leading on 1,540 panchayat seats while BJP was leading on 417, according to the State Election Commission (SEC) as of 10.30 pm on Tuesday.

West Bengal has 3,341 gram panchayats and the number of village panchayat election centres is 58,594. There are 63,239 seats at the Gram Panchayat level, 9730 at Panchayat Samiti and 928 at the Zila Parishad level. The counting of votes will be held on July 11.

In 2018, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) won uncontested, 34 per cent of the seats in panchayat elections, which also saw various instances of violence.