Kolkata/Berhampore: In what appeared to be one of the deadliest Panchayat Elections in West Bengal, at least 12 people were killed and several others were injured in widespread violence during a polling that saw a turnout of 66.28 per cent. The election was marred by allegations of massive rigging.
The presence of police and Central forces was minimal, allowing political thugs to turn several districts into war zones. These thugs freely resorted to firing guns and hurling bombs at their opponents in order to steal votes. In one instance in Mathabhanga, Coochbehar, a youth was seen running away with a stolen ballot box.
Instances of ballot box looting also occurred in Howrah and other districts in South Bengal. Surprisingly, the ruling party suffered the majority of casualties. Out of the 12 victims, seven were TMC workers (including a candidate), two belonged to the BJP and CPM each, and one was from the Congress.
The death toll is expected to rise. Murshidabad, which has been experiencing violence since the announcement of the rural polls, witnessed the highest number of murders. Among the five deceased in Murshidabad, three were from TMC, while the other two belonged to Congress and CPM.
In addition to the killings, two Congress workers were shot while attempting to resist booth capture. Concerned about the violence, Governor C.V. Ananda Bose rushed to the affected districts, and the Congress approached the Calcutta High Court to halt the ongoing polls.
Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, accused the governor of making a grave mistake by appointing Rajiv Sinha as the state election commissioner. Adhikari claimed that many people had been killed by TMC goons and called for intervention from the Central government under either Article 355 or 356. BJP workers also staged protests outside the state poll panel's office.
However, state minister Shashi Panja countered the Opposition's claims, stating that they were exaggerating the violence. Panja argued that the majority of the deceased were TMC workers, raising doubts about the TMC's involvement in instigating the violence. Panja questioned why the Central forces were not being held accountable for the deaths. Furthermore, Panja accused the governor of exacerbating the violence by selectively visiting victims from Opposition parties, while the majority of deaths were TMC workers. Panja questioned whether the court had tasked the governor with managing the election process.
Adhir Chowdhury, the state Congress chief and Berhampore MP, strongly criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, asking how much more bloodshed and loss of life she needed. Chowdhury accused Banerjee of turning the elections into a violent bloodbath and a farce.
Governor C.V. Ananda Bose condemned the violence, stating that he had personally witnessed the dire situation. People had stopped his motorcade and informed him about the ongoing murders and the intimidation preventing them from reaching polling booths. The governor expressed deep concern, emphasising that this day was meant to be a sacred one for democracy and elections should be conducted through ballots, not bullets.
