Seventeen Left parties on Friday accused chief minister Mamata Banerjee of plunging the state into chaos by resorting to unprecedented malpractices in the conduction of the panchayat election. Several hundred Left supporters and “victims” of Trinamul- led attacks took part in a procession carrying torches from the base of Lenin’s statue at Esplanade to Sealdah to protest against violence and attacks on Opposition parties during the nomination process.

Left Front chairman Biman Bose alleged, the Trinamul Congress government had been systematically destroying democracy by deploying armed ruling party cadres and police to ensure Opposition parties were unable to file nomination papers for the panchayat election.

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Condemning the state government for allegedly mounting pressure on the state election commission (SEC) to hamper the poll process, Mr Bose said: “Opposition parties have been forced to move the high court and the Supreme Court as this dictator government deprived them of their democratic right to file nominations for the panchayat polls, which has surpassed all past records of attacks on the Opposition in the state.”

CPI-M state committee member Rabin Deb alleged, the BJP and the Trinamul had reached a tacit understanding and hatched a conspiracy to manipulate the panchayat polls so that the Left parties and the Congress were unable to file nominations.

“The police became Trinamul cadres in disguise and joined the ruling party-backed muscle men in preventing Opposition candidates from taking part in the rural polls,” he said. Some of the alleged victims recounted how they were kept at gun point so that they couldn’t reach the venues for filing nominations.

Mr Deb said, the Trinamul created a history of sorts by sending goons to gherao SDO and BDO offices so that Opposition candidates couldn’t file their nominations. It’s a mockery of democracy that the ruling party has managed to win about 34 per cent of the three-tier panchayat seats unopposed this time, he said.

“Left Front workers will launch a door-to-door campaign in the rural areas to recount tales of intimidation and attacks by ruling party cadres for restoration of democracy in the state,” Mr Deb added. The Left would start a bigger moment in the districts to “protect democracy and demand free and fair rural polls”.