Pictures from the scuffle between TMC and ISF with the special forces (Image: Hindustan Times)
From the date of announcement to polling day and now after the results, violence in Bengal Panchayat Election has no end. Following the same, the administration has imposed section 144 in affected areas including, Bhagar and Kashipur.
If we go by the figures, from the date of announcement, June 8 to date, 44 people have lost their lives. On the polling day itself, as many as 18 people, including supporters of different parties were killed.
On July 12, as many as three people died following the bloody scuffle in South 24 Parganas area. Notably, an IPS officer was also injured in the attacks.
With only violence, rigging and capturing of the booths, stopping voters by waving guns at them and every possible efforts, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) managed to sweep the elections. The other contesting parties including, BJP, Congress and the CPI (M) are left with minimum votes.
In the Gram Pancahayts, the opposition party BJP won as many as 9,000 seats in comparison to the 33,000 won by Mamata’s TMC. Here it is noteworthy that, last year 35 percent of the seats won by TMC were uncontested, meaning no one was allowed to stand against the TMC leaders in these areas. This year the vote percentage of the BJP has increased in comparison to last year when TMC won around 38,000 seats.
As far as Panchayat Samitis are concerned, the TMC won 2612 seats and BJP won only 275 seats. In the Zila Parishad elections too TMC performed well.
Due to attacks at the polling booths and the burning of the ballot boxes, on July 10, polling was organised in as many as 697 booths.
The SEC, in an official release, said, “The West Bengal State Election Commission in the exercise of the powers conferred on it by sub-section-3 and sub-section-4 of Section-67 of the said Act, hereby fixes 10th day of July 2023, as the date of taking the fresh polls at 7:00 hours to be continued upto 17:00 hours uninterruptedly till completion and direct the District Panchayat Election Officer to fix the polling station at which polls will be taken”.
On July 12, following the election results, the workers of TMC and ISF attacked one another, the attackers were well-equipped with weapons and explosives. They threw crude bombs at each other.
To contain the violence the police shot leather bullets and tear gas shells. After the mob was dispersed the police informed that in this violence itself, three people have lost their lives.
The Calcutta High Court has ordered to install of special forces in the state till 10 days before the announcement of the results.
Organiser compiled a list of 30 cases where miscreants attacked and rigged the booth. They set the ballot boxes on fire, put ink in the box or throw it away.
Following the violence in the elections, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said, “This is not an election, this is death. There is a fire of violence across the state. Central forces have not been deployed. CCTVs are not operating. This is not voting but loot…This is the collusion of TMC goons and Police and that is why so murders are happening,” he told ANI.
Voicing concern over the situation on the ground, the Bengal governor told reporters, “It is depressing that people in those (violence-hit) areas are in a state of fear. But now what is important is tomorrow’s election. I think the permanent solution, whether it is violence or corruption, is the black ink on the index finger. That is the symbol of the strength of a common man.”
Exhorting the people to vote their conscience and find the “permanent solution” to everything they are facing, the Governor added, “Everyone should go to the polling booth and express their right to vote according to their conscience.
Tomorrow is the day you will find the permanent solution to all things you are facing, including violence. The right to vote is the highest and mightiest right in the world in a democracy.”
“I am doing it for publicity, publicity, publicity alone. To publicise the rights of the common man, to publicise the sanctity of the Constitution, to publicise that the common man will not be suppressed by any political propaganda,” he added.
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