West Bengal panchayat polls: State Election Commission calls all-party meeting on June 13

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 10 (ANI): The State Election Commission has called an all-party meeting on June 13 to discuss the Panchayat elections in West Bengal, informed the state elections commission.
The panchayat elections in West Bengal will be held on July 8, the State Election Commission said.
BJP leader Shishir Bajoria alleged that the Commissioner did not have any idea about the Panchayat elections and just passed an order.
"The commissioner did not have any idea about this. The elections were announced on June 7 while he took charge this morning and made the announcement for the elections in the evening. How is this possible?" he said.
West Bengal, BJP Vice President Dilip Ghosh said that right after the elections were announced the situation in the state deteriorated.
"Right after the elections were announced, the situation in West Bengal deteriorated. A pistol was recovered from one of the leaders of TMC, this shows that TMC is deliberately trying to incite violence in the state. Without the use of central forces, the Panchayat election cannot take place peacefully in the state," said Dilip Ghosh while talking to ANI.
Earlier on June 8, Rajiva Sinha, the state election commissioner, informed further that the elections would be held in a single phase, adding, "The Model Code of Conduct has already come into effect."
The state poll panel chief added that candidates can file their nominations starting Friday till June 15.
The Bengal panchayat elections will be held on July 8. It will be held in a single phase and the total votes will be counted on July 11.
Panchayat polls in West Bengal will witness a fierce contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Trinamool Congress as it will be seen as a litmus test ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. (ANI)