Kolkata:
At least two people - one from the Communist Party of India-Marxist or CPM and another from the Trinamool Congress or TMC - were killed in poll-related clashes in West Bengal today where three districts voted in the third phase of the panchayat polls.
The CPM supporter, Mojar Bux Mondal, was hit during an exchange of bombs at Tengatengi village in the Bodhai gram panchayat area of North 24 Parganas.
Sanat Ghosh of the TMC was shot dead in a clash in the Magrahat police station area in South 24 Parganas.
In Howrah, no fatalities were reported but there was heavy bombing at Udayanarayanpur. In all three districts, an atmosphere of terror prevailed.
In the Amdanga area, where workers of the TMC and the CPM clashed yesterday, booths reported over 90 per cent voting by noon. Opposition parties alleged this was impossible without rigging.
The deployment of the central forces also remained a thorny issue. Of the 12,844 booths where votes were cast, around 9,153 were either highly sensitive or sensitive. The Opposition said they were not effectively used though the Centre sent close to 300 companies.
In most booths, a couple of state policemen seemed in charge. Central forces only paid flying visits. Their role, marginal.
The Congress slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for the inadequate security arrangement while the CPM called it a "mockery of democracy".
The two parties blocked railway tracks in protest and lodged complaints with the State Election Commission. But the third phase of the panchayat polls is now over.
Late in the evening, Trinamool MP and party general secretary Mukul Roy said, "This is the eighth panchayat polls in the state. Six (polls) were held in one day, last time in three phases and this time in five phases. Panchayat polls have never been held so peacefully before."
He also accused the CPM of throttling democracy and pointed out that in 2008, 22 people had died in the polls, of which 17 people were killed in "one day of voting".
He also claimed that between June 15 and today, 21 Trinamool supporters had been killed.