Amid the ongoing pre-poll violence over tomorrow’s panchayat elections in West Bengal, a local Congress leader, Aurobindo Mondal, was lynched at Raninagar in the Murshidabad district on Friday morning. He was allegedly killed by activists of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Aurobindo Mondal’s dead body was recovered from Dharmapur in Bongaon. The motive behind the murder is yet to be ascertained. Police said the man was shot dead.

With this latest casualty the death toll in pre-poll violence reached 18 in the 29 days since the polling dates were announced on June 8. Four deaths were reported from Murshidabad district alone.

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda met the family of the slain leader.

Ironically, the incident coincided with the arrival of the state governor in Murshidabad this morning to visit violence-hit pockets in the district. Family members of the victim, as well as the district leadership of the Congress, have alleged that he was first hounded and killed lynched by the local TMC activists. However, the local TMC leadership has denied the allegations.

In a sarcastic remark on the violence, Congress leader and Calcutta High Court lawyer Kaustav Bagchi said no one knows how many more deaths will satiate the appetite of the ruling party and the State Election Commission.

“The entire administration is paralysed, but the election commission is acting like a puppet in the hands of the ruling dispensation,” he lamented.

On Thursday, the governor launched a scathing attack on the state Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha holding him squarely responsible for the continuing violence. “We put up a fence to guard the crops. What do we do when the fence itself eats up the crops? If democracy is dead in the elections, who is the killer? Will the State Election Commissioner please raise his hand? You should know who the killer is,” the governor asked.

Now that the death toll has reached 18, everyone is apprehensive about the situation on the polling day on Saturday.

Governor CV Ananda Bose visited the Murshidabad district, the second time on the eve of the polling. He left at seven in the morning on Friday. According to sources, he will go to Murshidabad where he will meet the affected families.

The governor left Kolkata station by Hazarduari Express at 6:50 am. The TMC did not stop criticizing his visit. Allegations of bombings and murders have come up from the Murshidabad district.