West Bengal Panchayat polls: BJP fact-finding team to visit violence-affected areas today

At least 20 people have been killed in violence since the announcement of the polls. The four-member fact-finding team constituted by BJP chief JP Nadda will visit the state and submit its report.

Kolkata (West Bengal): A four-member Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) team, which includes former Union Minister Ravishankar Prasad, will on Wednesday visit the violence-affected areas in West Bengal in the wake of the Panchayat elections in the eastern state.

At least 20 people have been killed in violence since the announcement of the polls. The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has swept the polls, which were characterized by incidents of violence and disruptions. Repolling took place in 696 booths amidst serious allegations of electoral fraud, booth capturing, and various irregularities, including voter suppression on Monday, July 10. The counting of votes for the polls began on Tuesday, July 11, and is still underway.

Before leaving for Kolkata this morning, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "BJP chief JP Nadda has appointed a team of Parliamentarians, of which I am the convener, which is going to visit all the areas affected by rampant violence, killing, a bomb blast in the wake of Panchayat polls in West Bengal."

"We propose to visit all the affected areas, meet those who are tortured and victimised," Prasad, who represents the Patna Sahib constituency, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

"Why should more than 40 people lose their lives in the gram panchayat election? Why the so-called colleagues who are trying to forge an alliance against Narendra Modi are maintaining a conspicuous silence? We will visit and submit our report to the (party) president. I hope the Mamata Banerjee government will allow us to visit the affected areas," he added.

Though counting is still underway, the ruling TMC has emerged as the clear winner in the West Bengal panchayat elections, securing a majority in all three tiers of the rural local government expressing its dominance in 2,552 out of 3,317 gram panchayats, 232 panchayat samitis, and 12 out of 20 zilla parishads till the time of filing this report.

The BJP though officially the second largest party is trailing far behind, managing to secure only 212 gram panchayats, 7 panchayat samitis, and no zilla parishads.