West Bengal panchayat polls: As it happened on May 14, 2018

The run-up to the WB rural polls witnessed intense violence, a series of court cases, and clashes among supporters of ruling TMC and opposition BJP, Congress and Left

Kolkata: At least eight people were killed on Monday in West Bengal as violence and clashes between supporters of different parties in several districts marred voting for the rural bodies. 

Initially, voting for the rural bodies was to be held on May 1, 3 and 5 but as the nomination process started in April, it was rescheduled to May 14 by the SEC following a Calcutta High Court order to extend the nomination deadline and announce a fresh polling date.

Statistics reveal that of the total 58,692 seats in the three tiers of the rural local bodies, 20,076 seats, or 34.2 percent, have been decided uncontested, with the Trinamool Congress bagging a whopping proportion of these seats, as per IANS. These include 16,814 of the total 48,650 gram panchayats seats, 3,059 of the 9,217 panchayat samiti seats and 203 of the 825 zila parishad seats. The Supreme Court has now asked the SEC not to issue winning certificates in these seats.

15 May 2018

15 May 2018 00:14 IST

Widespread violence during the panchayat polls in West Bengal on Monday left at least eight people dead and 43 injured, as 73 percent of the electorate turned out to cast their vote. 

Notwithstanding the elaborate security arrangements in which 60,000 security personnel from West Bengal and other states were deployed, violence broke out in North and South 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, Burdwan, Nadia, Murshidabad and South Dinajpur districts.

Despite the violence, State Election Commission (SEC) sources said, as per PTI, that 73 percent polling was recorded till 5 pm, the closing hour, but many more voters were still in the queue.

15 May 2018 20:56 IST

At least 12 people died have died. The identity of six more yet to be ascertained. Three police personnel also injured. Last year 25 people were killed in the election. Security has been taken care of. We hope rest of the election will pass peacefully: Surajit Kar Purkayasth a,West Bengal DGP