The Trinamul Congress and the BJP on Thursday sparred over the latter's demand that Article 355 of the Constitution be imposed in West Bengal because of the panchayat poll-related violence, which the ruling party claimed to be a "ploy to malign the state." Art 355 states that it is the duty of the Union to protect the states from internal disturbances and external aggression.

Several senior BJP leaders have been demanding the imposition of Article 355 in the state, citing the killings of more than 34 people during the rural poll process since last month.

"Free and fair polls will be possible only if Article 355 is imposed in the state. The law and order situation has completely failed in the state," BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said.

BJP's Cooch Behar MP and Union MoS for Home Nisith Pramanik said the TMC government must ensure that post-poll violence stops.

"It is a democratically elected government. But it is a matter of shame that such demands are being raised by a section of people and from various quarters that Article 355 is imposed in the state," he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that 19 people, mostly from her TMC, died in poll-related violence since the election date was announced on June 8.

Police sources, however, have put the number of fatalities at 38 but agree that at least 60 per cent of those who lost their lives were affiliated with the TMC.

Reacting to the demand, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "It is the BJP which is trying to vitiate the atmosphere of the state so that they can act on their ploy to impose Article 355 in the state," "It is TMC cadres who are being killed in the state. The BJP has unleashed a reign of terror and violence across the state. The demands of Article 355 are aimed at diverting attention from their humiliating defeat in rural polls," he said.

TMC minister Shashi Panja said the allegations of TMC being perpetrators of violence are baseless.

"The BJP's allegations are aimed at creating an atmosphere where they can impose Article 355. They should first look at BJP-ruled Manipur, which has been burning for the last two months," she said.

The ruling Trinamul Congress steamrolled to a massive victory in West Bengal's violence-scarred rural polls, bagging all zila parishads and winning the majority of the seats in the panchayat samiti and gram panchayats.