Kolkata : At least nine people were killed in election-related violence in West Bengal since midnight as voting was underway on Saturday for the three-tier Panchayat polls in the state.
In addition to causing injuries to multiple individuals, violent clashes during the election process resulted in the reported destruction of ballot boxes at several polling booths. The polling commenced at 7 am in the rural areas of the state, encompassing a total of 73,887 seats. The fate of approximately 2.06 lakh candidates is being decided by a significant population of 5.67 crore people. By 11 am, a voter turnout of 22.6 percent had been recorded. To ensure the safety and integrity of the process, tight security measures were implemented.