Organisations of the Kurmi community on Friday announced that they will field candidates in the upcoming panchayat elections in West Bengal.

Ghagar Ghera Central Committee, the umbrella body of the Kurmi organisations, said it will field candidates in the districts in the Jangalmahal region.

"We have decided to fight the elections in protest against the arrest of our leaders and bolster our demand for the ST status," its leader Ashok Mahato said.

The Kurmi community, which is classified as OBC at present, protested for days in April in the districts in the Jangalmahal region -- Purulia, Bankura Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur, demanding ST status.

Submission of nominations for the elections to around 75,000 seats in the three-tier Panchayati Raj system began on Friday. It will continue till June 15. The polling will be held on July 8.

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