Kolkata, Jun 12 (PTI) As violence and clashes continued over filing of nominations for panchayat polls in West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress on Monday accused the opposition parties of forming an "unholy nexus" to delay the elections and tarnish the state's image due to fear of defeat.

Opposition BJP, Congress, and CPI(M), on the other hand, alleged that their candidates have been prevented by TMC activists from submitting nomination papers in various districts and argued that without the deployment of central forces, it is impossible to have peaceful and fair elections in the state.

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They also accused the State Election Commission (SEC), which is conducting the panchayat polls, of favouring the TMC and functioning as its frontal organisation.

A senior SEC official said that unidentified miscreants attacked opposition party leaders while they were on their way to file nomination papers for the panchayat polls.

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Clashes were reported at Daspur in Paschim Medinipur district, Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas, Raninagar in Murshidabad, Saktinagar and Barshul in Purba Bardhaman and Minakhan in North 24 Parganas district on Monday, an SEC official said.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "The fact is that the opposition – the BJP, CPI (M), and the Congress -- were trying to delay the panchayat polls out of the fear of defeat and their inability to put up candidates in all seats. We challenge them to publish the list of their candidates for all seats."

Mocking the opposition for complaining about lack of time to file nominations, Ghosh said, "If they can't find candidates, we will provide them with one. The unholy nexus of the BJP, Congress and the CPI(M) is trying to malign the state by disturbing the peaceful law and order situation in the state."

Senior state minister Shashi Panja asserted that the opposition parties, fearing "defeat, are trying to divert attention by making baseless allegations".

Reacting to the TMC's allegations, the opposition BJP said peaceful rural polls are impossible in Bengal without central forces.

"The SEC is working like a frontal organisation of the TMC. With the deployment of central forces, free and fair elections are not possible in West Bengal. The TMC wants to turn this panchayat election into a farce, just like 2018," BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

In the 2018 rural polls, the TMC won 90 per cent of the Panchayat seats in the state and all 22 Zila Parishads. However, these elections were marred by widespread violence and malpractices, with the opposition alleging they were prevented from filing nominations in many seats.

State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the people of West Bengal can cast their votes only if central forces are deployed.

"The TMC just wants to loot the public mandate, and the SEC and the state police are just working as its frontal organisations," he said.

In 2013, the panchayat polls were held with central forces stationed at every polling booth in the state. Despite their deployment, the TMC, which had been in power for two years then, won over 85 per cent of the seats, with the opposition alleging malpractices.

CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim said, "We strongly condemn the terror tactics adopted by the TMC to derail the democratic process by unleashing violence on opposition candidates filing nominations for the upcoming panchayat elections."

Elections will be held for nearly 75,000 seats in the three-tier Panchayati Raj system on July 8. The nomination process, which began on Friday, would continue till June 15, SEC had announced last week.

However, following the opposition leaders moving court seeking more time to file nominations, the SEC on Monday told the Calcutta High Court that it can extend the last date of filing nominations for panchayat polls in West Bengal by a day to June 16.

The panchayat polls are considered a litmus test ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)