As the panchayat polls in West Bengal turns violent on Saturday, the ruling TMC and the opposition BJP have blamed each other for the situation.
TMC Ministers Bratya Basu and Shashi Panja turned on BJP, stating the TMC workers were at the victims of the violence. While Basu denied allegations of the state letting loose a reign of terror, Panja said "nearly 60 per cent casualties were from the TMC".
"Of the 22 districts that went to rural polls, no incident of violence was reported in 16. Of the nearly 61,000 booths, incidents were reported in only 60. So, one can ascertain the ratio of violence in comparison with the areas where polls were held peacefully. It is lesser than one per cent," Panja added.
As per state officials, 12 people died in poll violence amid bomb explosions. The dead include eight from the ruling TMC, one each from BJP, CPI(M), Congress and ISF.
"A narrative is being spun by the opposition parties with the help of the Governor (C V Ananda Bose) and a section of the media that elections in West Bengal are always violent. There have been few instances of violence, but if you compare with previous elections, you will see that the incidents of violence and deaths have gone down drastically," TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh claimed.
Meanwhile, state Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the violence and sought a Central Bureau Of Investigation and National Investigation Agency probe into the matter.
"CM Mamata Banerjee is responsible for the violence in the state today. Why CRPF was not deployed on the booths? We will go to court along with the family members of the deceased in today's violence and demand a detailed probe into the incident," he told reporters late on Saturday.
He also claimed that Friday's death toll was 19. "Section 144 should be imposed in the violence-affected areas and CAPF should be deployed on all the booths. Today we are wearing black bands as it is Black Day for democracy. We demand CBI, and NIA probe after today's incident," he said, adding that he will ask the State Election Commissioner to direct CM Mamata Banerjee to compensate Rs 50 lakh to the deceased.
West Bengal Governor Dr C V Ananda Bose too condemned the incidents of violence across the state during the panchayat polls and described the situation as "very, very disturbing".
Adding that the 'Peace Home' at the Raj Bhavan to address complaints of the common people would continue to function, things are very disturbing.
"There is violence, murder, and intimidation. One thing I noticed is that it is the poor who are getting killed. Leaders are not there. So, who is driving them? They should kill poverty instead of trying to kill the poor. This is very very disturbing. This is not what Bengal wants or deserves. This is very disturbing that the lack of peace in society will affect the new generation," Bose told reporters after returning to the Raj Bhavan in the evening.
"We should establish peace at any cost. The initiative, which I have started at the Raj Bhavan, is not meant for election alone. It's going to be a continuous exercise. We should work together to see that peace and harmony are reestablished in society," he said.