Murshidabad (West Bengal) [India], June 10 : A Trinamool Congres (TMC) leader was arrested after a pistol was allegedly found in his possession during a protest over the alleged murder of a Congress leader in West Bengal's Murshidabad district.
The protest over the alleged killing of the Congress leader was staged during the filing of nominations for the panchayat polls on Saturday.
The Congress leader was allegedly murdered at Khargram of Murshidabad on Saturday.
The police arrested the TMC leader after finding a pistol on his person. He was taken to a police station nearby.
Congress workers, meanwhile, staged a demonstration outside the office of the West Bengal State Election Commission in Kolkata on Saturday over the alleged killing of a fellow party member.
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government over the alleged killing of the party member, claiming that the state administration was shielding the culprit.
"A Congress worker was murdered at Khargram in Murshidabad. The incident took place in the run-up to the panchayat elections. The accused is being shielded by the administration in the wake of the killing. We will hold protests against this. Does the TMC want a bullet election or a ballot election? We will not allow TMC to indulge in this politics of blood," he said.
He further accused the TMC of "intimidating" the Opposition parties ahead of the Panchayat polls.
"Our worst fears around the panchayat polls are ringing true. The ruling party in Bengal is resorting to unchecked hooliganism and using the administration to unleash terror on the Opposition forces ahead of the panchayat polls. We are being intimidated in a planned manner. They don't want the panchayat polls in Murshidabad and elsewhere to be held in police," Chowdhury told ANI.
The panchayat elections in West Bengal are to be held on July 8 in a single phase and votes will be counted on July 11, the state poll panel said on Thursday.
The rural polls are likely to see a fierce contest between the ruling TMC and the principal Opposition, the BJP. They are being seen as a litmus test for both parties ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year.
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