Bengal Government, Governor In War Of Words Over Panchayat Polls

West Bengal Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose visited Murshidabad district on the eve of Panchayat polls. The district that has seen several poll related incidents of violence resulting in deaths. The governor's visit comes a day after his spat with the state election commissioner over incidents of poll-related violence. Meanwhile the state government says the incidents are sporadic and unconnected and the situation is being blown out of proportion by the media. Panchayat polls are seen as a crucial indicator of the control over politics at the grassroots level and with the Lok Sabha elections less than a year away, both the TMC and the opposition parties in the state are seeing it as an opportunity to gauge the public mood ahead of 2024.