Kolkata: West Bengal’s three-tier panchayat elections were plagued by violence, which claimed the lives of upto 18 people throughout the state’s districts. Political parties in the state exchanged accusations, blaming the State Election commissioner, Rajiva Sinha, for the deaths. The BJP sent a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging his intervention to restore democracy and stating that democracy had been “murdered” by the ruling party while security forces stood by as mere spectators.
In response, the ruling Trinamool Congress, which alleges to have suffered eight casualties among its supporters, accused other parties of orchestrating the violence and criticised the central forces for their failure to protect voters. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, expressed that a free and fair election under the state administration was seemingly impossible and suggested that it would only be feasible under President’s Rule or Article 355.
Union Minister Smriti Irani criticised the ruling Trinamool Congress for the violent incidents that occurred during the West Bengal panchayat elections held on Saturday. She questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s acceptance of such incidents, as his party has joined forces with the Trinamool Congress as part of the Opposition unity ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Irani expressed concern about the erosion of democracy witnessed during the panchayat elections in West Bengal, where people were reportedly killed for asserting their democratic rights. She pointed out the contradiction in the Congress aligning itself with the Trinamool Congress, the same party that she accused of creating chaos in West Bengal. Irani directly asked Rahul Gandhi if he found it acceptable to engage in “maut ka khel” (the game of death) by joining forces with the Trinamool Congress.
As of Sunday morning, the State Election Commission had yet to release official data, but State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha acknowledged that three deaths had been directly reported to the commission. Sinha had previously stated that committing murder was a crime against the state, not the SEC, while discussing Election Day. He shared that the commission received around 1,200–1,300 complaints, including vandalism of ballot papers and boxes and intimidation of presiding officers, and managed to resolve around 600 of them.
The violence has prompted blame games between the TMC and CPI (M) parties, with each accusing the other of the incidents. Leading up to the Panchayat Polls, which took place on July 8, there were reports of continuous violence in various districts, with allegations of ruling party’s goons acting out, assaults on opposition candidates, and attacks on police personnel who did not align with the ruling party.
The situation in West Bengal has a history of violence during elections, including the 2018 Panchayat polls, which witnessed widespread violence resulting in 20 deaths. During that election, the ruling party secured approximately 90% of the seats, with 34% going uncontested. The incidents of violence and abuse by the state machinery following the 2021 Assembly elections have also been widely documented.
The BJP, CPI (M), and Congress have contested the Panchayat elections against the TMC, with some seats remaining uncontested. The deployment of Central Forces was a contentious issue, with objections raised by Mamata Banerjee’s counsel. It is evident that violence continues to plague elections in West Bengal, raising concerns about the state of its democracy as law & order continue to be neglected by the TMC government.
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