Political bloodbath continued abated in Bengal with three persons falling prey to the ongoing electoral violence in last 24 hours taking the toll of poll-related deaths to 17 in the past four weeks and leading Governor CV Ananda Bose to reprimand newly appointed State Election Commissioner — allegedly a Mamata Banerjee confidant — Rajiva Sinha calling him an utter failure.
The panchayat elections will be held on July 8 with the counting likely to take place on July 11.
One Sk Kamal was killed allegedly while making bombs at Maheshpur village of Beldanga block in volatile Murshidabad district, sources said his body was found amid scattered bombs one of which reportedly went off killing him on the spot. While the ruling Trinamool Congress said he was a Congress goon Pradesh Congress president and local MP Adhir Chowdhury said “everyone knows which party deals in bombs.”
The second incident occurred at Muhammad Bazar in Birbhum district where the body of a BJP booth vice president Dilip Mahera was found in mysterious circumstances. A spent bullet was found nearby him, villagers claimed adding he could have been murdered by the TMC men.
The victim’s wife is contesting as an Independent candidate from the area and the TMC had asked her to withdraw from electoral fray.
In the third incident a local Congress leader Alfaz from Kulpi in South 24 Parganas succumbed to his injuries on Thursday morning. He was injured during a Congress-TMC clash on Monday and was undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Meanwhile, amid total confusion regarding deployment of central forces as directed by both Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court the Bengal Governor slammed the State Election Commissioner for failing to stop the “political holi with blood.”
Reminding Sinha of his Raj Dharma, Bose said that he had “appointed him but he disappointed the people,” of Bengal adding “you (Sinha) have failed in my opinion to discharge your duty.”
Referring to the ongoing political deaths and clashes the Governor said “I have seen tears in the eyes of mothers … this political holi with blood must stop,” before asking, “who is the killer … will the State Election Commissioner, the SEC raise his hands…”