A BJP delegation led by Mukul Roy on Friday met West Bengal state election commissioner Amarendra Kumar Singh and urged him to deploy Central forces adequately to ensure free and peaceful panchayat election as unprecedented violence was witnessed in the last panchayat poll during Trinamul Congress regime.

Mr Roy and other state BJP leaders arrived at the WBSEC office this afternoon.

Mr Roy said several persons were killed after violence erupted in the last panchayat poll. A large number of people were evicted from their residences and lost their valuables following the poll-related violence.

“Former SEC of the West Bengal Meera Pandey adopted brave measures to maintain law and order during panchayat poll and she was lauded for the courageous steps. But Mr Singh has to decide whether he will act as a puppet of the state government or ensure peaceful election,” said Mr Roy.

Another BJP leader said that around 65 persons died following poll-related violence in last panchayat election. The SEC office also wrote to the state panchayat department to know the number of phases in which the panchayat poll would be conducted. SEC has sought time from state panchayat department to fix the poll schedule.

However, it has been learnt that state panchayat department is waiting to get the final consent from chief minister Mamata Banerjee to fix the poll schedule.

Yesterday the state BJP alleged that the chief minister and her administration are jointly preparing a strategy to commit rigging and casting proxy votes to ensure win of the TMC candidates, and so the poll will be deferred to give them adequate time to chalk out a plan.

In 2013, panchayat poll was held in five phases. SEC office however urged to conduct panchayat poll in fewer phases and wrote to the state government seeking its opinion on this issue. However, SEC did not seek Central force deployment till date.

According to Mr Roy panchayat poll will be a “farce” sans Central forces. The saffron brigade apprehends that the state police will play the role of “mute spectators” like in the previous year.

The SEC has already asked state administrative headquarters for deploying around 430 observers for panchayat poll from zila parishad and panchayat samity offices.

Discussion regarding the deployment of Central forces will be taken up after poll schedule is fixed, a SEC source said. The sources also added that it would be tough to conduct panchayat poll during May-June if the state does not agree to meet the demands of the forces and other requirement for the election.