'We must hang our heads in shame': TMC leaders on Bengal rural poll violence

Senior Trinamool Congress leaders asserted that everyone should be ashamed of the death of political workers during the panchayat elections held two days ago, and appealed for an end to the culture of political violence.

Violence had rocked West Bengal's rural polls on Saturday, leaving 15 people dead while ballot boxes were vandalised, ballot papers torched and bombs thrown at rivals in a number of places.

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Of those deceased people, 11 were affiliated to the TMC.

"As a Bengali, I hang my head in shame, and everybody else should also be ashamed that even in 2023, we could not stop this culture of violence.

“We should introspect why we cannot shun this culture. We don't witness so much violence in any other place," senior TMC MLA Humayun Kabir, a former police officer, said.

Since the date of the panchayat polls was announced early last month, 33 people were killed in political clashes. Some 30 people also died in the 2018 panchayat polls. The figure was 76 during the course of the poll process in 2003.

Senior TMC MP Sougata Roy said violence and killings are not expected in democracy, but passed the buck to the State Election Commission (SEC).

"It would have been better if the elections were held in a peaceful atmosphere. Unfortunately, so many people were killed. It is the duty of the SEC to ensure that elections are held peacefully. The culture of political violence must end," he said.

The BJP, however, took the remarks by TMC leaders with a pinch of salt and dubbed it "late realisation".

"Sougata Roy sometimes tries to act like an inner voice of the TMC but unfortunately, his views have no takers in his party. These are nothing but crocodile tears. The CPI(M) had brought this culture of politics in Bengal, and the TMC had mastered it," BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.