Kolkata, Apr 3: The BJP's West Bengal unit chief Dilip Ghosh predicts a blood-stained rural election in the state if central forces are not deployed. The remarks of Ghosh come days ahead of the state-wide panchayat polls, scheduled to be held on May 1, May 3 and May 5 across 20 districts.

Ghosh led a BJP delegation which met Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi on Tuesday, urging him to order the conduct of panchayat elections under the watch of the central forces.

Ghosh claims the Bengal police is dominated by the state government, "which is using arm-twisting methods" to win the elections. In order to conduct free and fair polls, he said, the local police should not be given the charge.

Alleging attack on BJP candidates by TMC cadres, Ghosh said the Mamata Banerjee-led party has recruited muscle power to intimidate the Opposition.

The state police, he further alleged, is acting in connivance with the "TMC goons".

On being asked by reporters on how the Governor reacted to the demand of the BJP delegation, Ghosh said Tripathi is in favour of central forces' deployment.

The Governor will meet the Home Secretary and Chief Secretary and push forth the demand, Ghosh said, further adding that if the polls are held under the local police charge, as many as "70-100 people" could lose their lives. "This will be a bloody elections," he was reported as saying.

The rural poll contest in Bengal will feature 48,751 seats contested across 3,358 gram panchayats, 9,240 seats from 341 panchayat samitis and 825 seats of 20 zilla parishads.

The results will be declared on May 8.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 03, 2018 09:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).