West Bengal Panchayat Elections: Violence is the norm

West Bengal Panchayat elections, held on July 8, 2023, witnessed unprecedented violence and anarchy-like situation. In the run-up to the polls, over 45 people belonging to vulnerable sections of society lost their precious lives, and hundreds of candidates were allegedly coerced and forced to withdraw their nomination by Trinamool Congress goons and their venomous supporters.

Expressing displeasure over the State Election Commission’s report on the action taken to control the violence during elections, the Calcutta High Court on July 12, 2023 ordered that the election results declared would be subject to final orders to be mandated by the High Court in a batch of writ petitions.

“It is not yet clear why the Election Commission machinery is not proactive and vigilant especially when the court itself had been monitoring the entire election process and the first judgement was delivered on June 13, 2023 itself”, the Court said. The Court pointed out that it was surprising to notice that even after the declaration of results, the state machinery miserably faulted to administer and control the violence that had erupted at several places.

“The responsibility to ensure that there is no breach of peace lies with the State Government. If the State Government is incapacitated to safeguard its citizens, then it is a very serious matter to be taken note of,” the court further remarked.

“The Court is surprised to note that even after declaration of results, the state is not able to control the violence which has erupted in several places. If the state government is not in a position to safeguard its citizens, then it is a very serious matter to be taken note of” — Calcutta High Court (July 12)

Notably, on June 23, 2023 the Calcutta High Court had also sought a response from the West Bengal State Election Commission on the anomalous situation having escalated concerning the 2023 Panchayat Elections, wherein an astronomical 20,585 withdrawals of nominations had occurred. In the results, declared till 9.30 pm on July 12, the ruling Trinamool Congress bagged more than half the seats, won 34,980 Gram Panchayat seats, and was leading in 570 seats. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 9,735 seats and was leading in 142 seats. Elections were held for 63,229 Gram Panchayat seats. The CPI(M) won 2,940 and was leading in 65 seats. The Congress won 2,549 seats and was leading in 62. In Panchayat Samiti, out of 9730 seats, the TMC won 6,467 seats while leading in 184 seats. The BJP won 990 and was leading in 48 seats, while CPI(M) won 182 seats and was leading in 13, and Congress won 267 seats and leading in six seats. In 928 Zila Parishads, TMC won 685 seats, leading in 144 others. The BJP won 21 and was leading in six seats. The CPI(M) won two seats, while Congress won six seats and was leading in five.

Importantly, despite the violence in the State BJP has performed better in this elections. In 2018, the party had won 5,779 Gram Panchayat seats and 769 Panchayat Samitis seats. A total of 5.67 crores people living in the State’s rural areas were eligible to decide the fate of 2.06 lakhs candidates in 73,887 seats of the Panchayat Raj system.

“We had immense respect for Mamata ji when she defeated the 34-year-old Left regime in the state in 2021. Today, I want to regretfully remind Mamataji about her evolution in Bengal and national politics. She was a fighter. Nonetheless, unfortunately, her government has crossed even the dubious records of the Left regarding misrule, anarchy and lawlessness in the state” –Ravi Shankar Prasad
Senior BJP leader

According to the official data, more than 45 people have lost their lives since the announcement of the Panchayat Elections on June 8. More than 18 people lost their lives only on the election day. The data states that about 13 people had lost their lives in 2018 Panchayat polls. Besides, more than 30 people were killed in the run-up to the elections, considered to be the most volatile in decades. Also, 34 per cent of the seats had remained uncontested, with opposition candidates unable to file nominations.

Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, alleged that the Kolkata Police drastically faulted to share information about the sensitive areas of the State to the Central Forces on polling day for the Panchayat polls. Consequently, at least 20 innocent people lost their precious lives in separate incidents on the polling day itself.

No Democracy in the state

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on July 12, 2023 criticised and blamed the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for letting loose a reign of terror during the rural polls and wondered why the central leaderships of the Congress and Left were silent on it. A four-member BJP fact-finding team to West Bengal, led by the former Union Minister, on visiting the State commented that the State unit’s demand for promulgating Article 355 immediately was “justifiable”. “We had immense respect for Mamata ji when she defeated the 34-year-old Left regime in the State in 2021. Today, I want to regretfully remind Mamataji about her evolution in Bengal and national politics. She was a fighter. Nonetheless, unfortunately, her Government has crossed even the dubious records of the Left regarding misrule, anarchy and lawlessness in the State,” he said.

“Your work is good, the work done by others is bad? This is not correct. There was violence during the elections in West Bengal, but there was no violence in the municipal elections held in Uttar Pradesh. Ask the general public what has happened…Around 50 people have died. The aid amount announced by the state government will go only to TMC people who are suffering and not to others. Democracy is in danger in Bengal” -Suvendu Adhikari, BJP leader and LoP, WB

Pointing out that, Mamata Banerjee’s politics is now full of atrocities and violent insurgency, which was not evident even during the Left rule. Ravi Shankar Prasad said, Why are so many innocent voters being killed? Why is so much violence across the State? Is this not the responsibility of the State administration to ensure free and fair polls? This was once the scenario of Bihar, but the WB State, too, has moved ahead above all. Mamata Banerjee has shamed democracy in West Bengal. Why should more than 40 people lose their precious lives in the Gram Panchayat elections? Why are the so-called colleagues who are trying to forge an alliance against Narendra Modi, maintaining a conspicuous silence? We will visit and lodge our report of facts to the President of India. I hope, the Mamata government will allow us to visit the affected areas,”

Lashing at Bengal Government over corruption. West Bengal BJP leader Rahul Sinha says, “This was loot ka vote and not janata ka vote. Had this been people’s vote, the results would have been altogether different. We don’t accept this vote. They cheated and looted the entire Bengal…I reject and discard this victory of TMC. By sending a fact-finding team (of BJP) expeditiously, our national President has proven that the party wholeheartedly stands with the innocent people of the state.” Meanwhile, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on July 1, 2023 commented that over 100 people from West Bengal had taken shelter in his State.