Calcutta, Feb. 12: The government has decided to hold the panchayat polls in three pha- ses between May 11 and 25 so that no one can accuse it of “using muscle power” to win.

The split rural polls will be a first in Bengal.

The CPM had launched a tirade against the central Election Commission for holding the Assembly polls in five phases in 2006 but adopted a similar schedule itself.

“We want to hold the polls in phases so that no one can say later that we won using muscle power,” state secretariat member Benoy Konar said.

The state election commission had sounded all parties about the possibility of the phased elections. It is yet to notify the dates officially, but the CPM state committee today endorsed the government’s decision to hold it in phases from May 11 to 25.

The party also greenlighted the presence of security forces in each polling booth.

Around 70 people had died in poll-related clashes, many of them between the CPM and its Left Front partners RSP and Forward Bloc, in 2003.

Front unity will be put to test this time. The Bloc has decided to go it alone and the RSP has threatened to do so in seats that the CPM refuses to let it contest.

“Let’s see what the RSP decides. But there can’t be a friendly fight. It will be fight or friendship,” said land minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah, whose home district South 24-Parganas had witnessed some of the bloodiest fights the last time.

Konar said the CPM would try to “convince the Bloc about of the need for unity”. “But if it refuses to see reason, we will put up candidates against its nominees.”

CPM state secretary Biman Bose today defended the police firing on Forward Bloc supporters in Dinhata, saying they had attacked the police.

A state committee member said none of the cases against the Bloc supporters accused of violence would be withdrawn, as demanded by the Bloc leadership.

Worried over the possible impact of bird flu on the polls, the CPM state committee urged party workers to ensure payment of compensation to the affected families.