KOLKATA: Big violence continues in the panchayat election scheduled in West Bengal. As of now, 14 people are reportedly killed in the melee. 6 TMC workers, one BJP poll-booth agent, and one CPM worker died on election day as per reports. The governor craned his neck into the issue and even reprimanded the state election commissioner for his inept work which Raj Bhavan described as a 'fall in commitment'. Central forces have been deployed but people are still seen brandishing knives and guns in the streets mostly in North 24-Parganas and Murshidabad. In Cooch Behar, the ballet papers were put on fire by TMC workers. It is the first time in history that the central forces are deployed for a panchayat election in Bengal.

Meanwhile, TMC accused the violence as the brainchild of CPM and Congress. CM Mamata Banerjee will have the shakes watching the harrowing scenes in the streets as it was after the TMC-led violence in the 2018 panchayath polls that the party lost near to half of its seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Earlier, Mamata has vouched not to repeat the 2018 episode but now, Bengal is blanketed in fear with even central agencies failing to put an end to the chaos.