New Delhi, May 29: Kin of 51 BJP workers killed in political violence in West Bengal over the last one year have been invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While 46 bereaved families are of those who were killed during panchayat polls last year, five others were killed during the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

The kin of deceased will be among the 7,000-odd guests invited at the oath taking ceremony of PM Modi scheduled at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Thursday. The invitees from Bengal will board a train this evening and are expected to reach the national capital early tomorrow. Mamata Banerjee to Attend Narendra Modi's Swearing-in Ceremony

The families of late BJP workers invited at the mega-event mostly belong to Barrackpore, Krishnagar, Nadia, Purulia, Malda, Bankura, West Midnapore, Jhargram, South 24 Parganas, Burdwan, Ranaghat, Birbhum and Cooch Behar region.

In Midnapore, the son of a killed BJP worker Manu Hansda has confirmed that his family has been issued an invite. "My father was killed by TMC goons. We are happy that we are going to Delhi. There's peace in our area now," he said.

BJP president Amit Shah has credited the party's impressive performance in Bengal -- where its vote share jumped from 17 to 40 per cent and seats tally increased from 2 to 18 -- to the scores of party workers who have been killed by alleged "TMC goons".

While Shah pegged the fatality figure at 80, reports have confirmed that at least 68 BJP workers have been found dead under mysterious circumstances since the panchayat elections in May 2018.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 29, 2019 12:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).