Krishnagar, April 16: A clash between a panchayat poll candidate and his uncle, also in the fray, led to a wedding being postponed in a Nadia village.

Mohammed Hussein Raka, 40, a Trinamul Congress candidate from the Chardignagar gram panchayat in the Kotowali area, about 80km from Calcutta, was attending the wedding of his relative, 20-year-old Arbi Khatun.

Abu Bakkar Sheikh, 50, Raka’s uncle and a CPM candidate from the same gram panchayat, was also among the guests.

The moment the two saw each other, they began trading abuses, police said. The verbal duel soon turned physical. Raka and Abu then took out their cellphones and called their supporters to the battleground.

In no time, about 100 people armed with rods and sticks arrived on motorcycles.

“What had started as a dispute between uncle and nephew soon snowballed into a full-blown political clash,” Nadia superintendent of police H.K. Kusumakar said.

The CPM and Trinamul activists attacked each other, leaving five people seriously injured.

“They also smashed to pieces the new furniture that had been bought for the couple and broke chairs and tables meant for the wedding dinner. We ran for our lives along with the bride and groom,” said Sahidul Sheikh, the bride’s father.

The mayhem continued for two hours.

Sahidul said Arbi and Hasan had to take refuge at a relative’s house for the night. “Their wedding took place today, We had a simple ceremony.”

The injured included Abu’s son Jubbar and Raka’s brother Niyamat, both of whom had fractured their skulls and limbs.

The police have arrested Raka and Abu and a search is on for the others involved in the clash. Two cases have been started on the basis of complaints lodged by local CPM and Trinamul activists.