Subhechcha Ganguly 
At Bhangore in South 24 Parganas, close to Kolkata, new confrontations broke out between members of the ruling TMC and the Indian Secular Front.The submission of nominations by candidates of political parties in the lead-up to the key panchayat elections in the eastern state of West Bengal resulted in new conflicts breaking out in several locations.The three-tier rural polls will be conducted in one round on July 8, the state poll panel declared last week. The next day, the nominations submission procedure began.
However, during the past five days, the opposition parties have complained that their candidates have not been permitted to travel to the offices of the block divisional officer (BDO) and sub-divisional officer (SDO) to submit nominations. The deadline for submitting nominations is Thursday.”More than 50 blocks are being pillaged by the Trinamool Congress (TMC). We won’t permit a repeat of the 2013 or 2018 elections, declared Suvendu Adhikari, a BJP lawmaker and leader of the opposition in the state assembly.
Violence has occasionally disrupted West Bengal panchayat elections in the past. Compared to the 2013 election violence, which claimed 39 lives, at least 21 individuals died in 2018. The TMC won around 90% of the seats in the most recent rural elections, 34% of which were uncontested.One Congress employee was shot and killed on Friday, despite reports of fights coming from several locations throughout the state over the previous few days.At Bhangore in South 24 Parganas, close to Kolkata, new skirmishes between TMC and Indian Secular Front workers occurred on Wednesday.
At Bhangore, men could be seen patrolling the roadways while concealing their faces with clothing and wielding bamboo clubs, rods, and sharp objects. Police cars were destroyed and crude explosives were thrown. Also attacked were members of the media. Senior IPS officers hurried to the scene, including assistant director general (ADG) (South Bengal), SN Gupta.”We have control of the issue. Raids are being conducted and investigations are ongoing, according to an IPS officer who declined to provide his identity.
