West Bengal Panchayat Polls: Residents of Nandigram boycott voting, blames TMC for casting bogus votes

With the high-voltage Panchayat polls currently underway in West Bengal, residents of Nandigram Block 1 of Purba Medinipur district have boycotted voting until Central Forces are deployed in the area.

“Central Forces have not been deployed in this area. In their absence, Trinamool Congress party workers capture the polling booths and cast bogus votes even in the name of deceased people,” a resident named Govind told ANI.

#WATCH | West Bengal #PanchayatElection | Residents of Nandigram Block 1 of Purba Medinipur district say that they are boycotting the election until Central forces are deployed at booth numbers 67 & 68 in Mahammadpur No. 2 area.

A voter, Govind says, “There is no Central force… pic.twitter.com/biiw5CEdrI

— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2023

He added, “This is why we have decided that we will not cast our vote until Central Forces are deployed.”

As many as 5.67 crore voters are expected to exercise their right to franchise in the state today between 7 am to 5 pm. There are nearly 928 seats across 22 zilla parishads and 63,229 gram panchayats seats.

The elections will be held in a single phase with over 2,00,000 candidates contesting the polls. The crucial polls will prove as a litmus test for various parties for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The state has witnessed widespread violence since the election date was announced last month and as a result, the death toll has mounted to 19.

Three key political parties — Trinamool Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian Secular Front — are engaged in a fierce battle to take control of the local administration in West Bengal.