Murshidabad, April 29 -- Congress candidate from West Bengal's Baharampur Assembly constituency, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said on Wednesday that while it is "impossible to expect violence-free elections" in the state's political landscape, the presence of central forces has encouraged a high voter turnout.

Chowdhury hit out at the ruling party, suggesting that the "culture of violence" is part of their election strategy.

"It is impossible to expect elections in Bengal to be free of violence. We expected this from the ruling party's side. Still, people in large numbers are participating in the elections. The common people feel that they will be able to vote because Central Forces have been deployed in large numbers here. Common people are...