WB Panchayat polls: BJP candidate attacked allegedly by TMC in Coochbehar

Coochbehar (West Bengal) [India], July 7 : Ahead of the Panchayat election in West Bengal, the house of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate was attacked allegedly by Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday.
The incident took place in the Kalmati area of Bamanhat II Gram Panchayat of Dinhata and the injured are currently admitted to a private hospital in West Bengal's Coochbehar.
The polls are likely to see a fierce tussle for control of local administrations between the ruling TMC and the BJP and will be a litmus test for both parties ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.
Earlier, on Monday, West Bengal Police recovered the body of a BJP leader, Bankim Hansda, from the Bodo area of the state's Purulia district.
The Governor, earlier, condemned the violence ahead of the panchayat polls, saying, "There is violence in certain pockets of West Bengal. There is a manifestation of what is called the politics of murder, the politics of intimidation, the politics of muscle flexing."
The Governor added that his visits to violence-hit areas should not be construed as a "fault-finding mission but a fact-finding mission".
Earlier, a TMC worker was allegedly beaten to death in the Malda district.
The panchayat elections will be held on July 8 in a single phase, with the counting of votes scheduled on July 11.
The polls are likely to see a fierce tussle for control of local administrations between the ruling TMC and the BJP and will be a litmus test for both parties ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.