Trinamool leader and the party's former Behrampore block vice-president, Pradip Dutta, was shot dead around 6am on Wednesday while returning home from his morning walk at the Radha Ghat I gram panchayat area.

Dutta, a resident of Nathpara in Behrampore, Murshidabad, a businessman and a politician, was headed home when some criminals blocked his way.

Before Dutta could react, they opened fire on him and fled from the spot.

Dutta was rushed with multiple bullet injuries to a nearby nursing home, where doctors declared him dead.

This was the second political murder in the street in the district in less than 48 hours.

A Trinamool leader, Alai Sheikh, 54, was killed on the spot when he was pillion-riding a motorcycle in Kandra village under Salar police station area on Monday night.

Alai was coming from his party office with two of his colleagues — TMC panchayat member Roup Ali and party worker Anarul Sheikh — when criminals opened fire on the trio near his home. Roup and Anarul managed to escape. Alai died on the spot.

"Murder cases have been initiated and investigations have started in both incidents. In the Salar incident, two individuals have been arrested. However, no one has been arrested in Behrampore so far," Murshidabad district police chief Surya Pratap Yadav said.

Although Trinamool maintained the murders were the outcome of personal enmity, the Congress alleged that it was the result of feuds within the ruling party.

"Since Monday, two of our party workers have been murdered. This is tragic. As far as I know, there were personal reasons behind the murders. Police will take action against the culprits," Trinamool district chief Apurba Sarkar said.

Congress district general secretary Jayanta Das claimed that factional conflict within Trinamool came to light with the two murders.

"Two or three factions (within Trinamool) are fighting over the division of spoils. In Salar, the TMC MLA and the TMC block president openly clashed with each other. People of the district are fully aware of this. In Behrampore, disputes between former and current office-bearers have become public and hence the ruling party can't blame the Opposition for the murders," Das alleged.