Panchayat elections in West Bengal will be held in April-May next year, Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Mukul Roy said on Saturday and asked all party members to forget differences and work unitedly.

“Antisocials and hooligans should not be allowed to enter Jhargram,” he said addressing TMC at Chandri near here, a CPI-M citadel during the Leftist rule.

The meeting was called to protest against alleged violence by CPI-M at Chandri.

Referring to the development efforts of the state government, he said a total 40,000 policemen and one lakh primary teachers would be appointed.

Roy alleged that local CPI-M leader Prasanta Das, who was arrested by the police for forcing TMC supporters to join a CPI-M procession at Chondri on November 22, was among those responsible for the Netai massacre.

The police had seized Maoist literature, posters and a country-made illegal guns from the residence of Das, who is now in police remand.

Local DYFI leader Sudarshan Mahto and Jharkhand Party (N) leader Arjun Hansda joined TMC along with a number of their followers at the meeting.

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