Panchayat poll turns West Bengal into battlefield; 18 killed, says report

However, West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Surajit Kar Purkayastha put the toll at 12 earlier.

From burning to death a couple of an opposition political party to killing of innocent voters, West Bengal turned into a combat zone leaving a trail of bodies and injured people.

Local televison channels daylong beamed footages of bloodied bodies, wailing victims' families and scenes of ballot box burning.

Opposition parties called the election a farce and even some demanded President's Rule even as the ruling Trinamool Congress called the entire episode a pre-planned plot of the rivals.

The role of the state election commission also came under attack owing to the unabated daylong violence.

Union Minister and BJP leader Babul Supriyo has called the Bengal government 'shameless' and demanded  President's rule in West Bengal.

Slamming the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government for the violence in which his party workers were killed and a couple was burnt to death in an arson, CPI-M secretary Surjya Kanta Misra said the Left's inception is not just to win elections but to continue the fight.

The deceased workers and supporters are from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the CPI-M and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

A CPI-M worker and his wife were charred to death after their house was set on fire in South 24 Parganas, reports said. CPI-M workers were also killed in Nandigram in East Midnapore district.

In North 24 Parganas, a CPI-M worker was killed during clashes while two others received injuries.

A Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporter and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker died in South 24 Parganas and Murshidabad respectively.

While the voter turnout was reportedly 75%, widespread violence, including bombing and and efforts of booth capturing by political goons, were reported across the state since morning.

In Cooch Behar district, 20 people were injured in a low intensity blast at a polling booth.

Violence was reported from Howrah and already clash-hit Bhangar in South 24 Parganas as well. Earlier on Friday, a supporter of an independent candidate was shot dead in Bhangar area.

There were reports of violence from several other disctricts like Jalpaiguri, Malda, Nadia and West Midnapore where  at Bikalchak of Keshpur a teenaged girl was hit by an arrow.

An independent canddiate supporter was shot dead in Murshidabad's Nawda. He has been identified as Shahi Shekh, according to a TV report.

However in many places, the police acted swiftly and brought the situation under control, reports said.

Protesting against the violence, Congress staged agitation near State Election Commission office in south Kolkata on Monday afternoon.

Police detained several Congress workers from the area.

Under the shadow of violence, people voted to elect 38,616 representatives across rural West Bengal.

Voting began at 7 am on Monday and concluded around 5 pm. More than 71,000 armed personnel manned the booths.

The key battle in the state is expected to take place between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Results of the poll will be declared on May 17.