A BJP candidate's polling representative was also slain on Saturday in a gang attack.
Around 5.67 crore people living in rural parts of the state are eligible to vote in the West Bengal panchayat elections, which started at 7 am on Saturday, July 8.
News agency ANI reported that a TMC worker named Sateshuddin Sheikh was killed in the state's Murshidabad district hours after the polling started. Also, a BJP candidate's polling agent was killed in an assault by a group of people, and the candidate Maya Barman herself was injured.
My agent was killed when TMC goons fired a bomb at him. Barman told global news that they also attacked him.
In the meantime, the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) claimed that rival parties were attacking their candidates.
The TMC had announced on Friday that three of its employees had died in a new spike in state violence.
"Shocking and tragic incidents shock the voting community. TMC tweeted, "Three of our party workers have been killed in Rejinagar, Tufanganj, and Khargram, and two have been wounded from gunshots in Domko.."
Shocking and tragic incidents send shockwaves through the voting community.
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) July 8, 2023
Three of our party workers have been murdered in Rejinagar, Tufanganj and Khargram and two have been left wounded from gunshots in Domkol.
The @BJP4Bengal, @CPIM_WESTBENGAL and @INCWestBengal have been…
The ruling party also criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, and CPI(M), which had called for the state's central military to be used for the Panchayat polls.
@BJP4Bengal, @CPIM_WESTBENGAL, and @INCWestBengal have been calling for Central Forces to be deployed. Where are Central Forces when they are most needed? This indicates a significant failure by their part in ensuring the public's safety and security prior to the start of the polls!the group added.
As many as 73,000 seats are available in the high-profile panchayat polls. The elections are very important because they will serve as a litmus test for the public's mood ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, successful panchayat polls will also help parties reach grassroots voters.
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