"The BJP knows that it is not in a position to contest the West Bengal panchayat elections. That is why it is creating this nuisance," Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen told The Quint on the allegations of violence being orchestrated by the state's ruling party ahead of the 2023 panchayat polls.
Several violent clashes were reported across West Bengal after the announcement of panchayat elections last week, which are scheduled to be held on 8 July. Sporadic clashes broke out in several districts, including Murshidabad, East Burdwan, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Birbhum, Coochbehar, and East Midnapore. A Congress worker was also allegedly killed in Murshidabad on Friday, 9 June.
After the announcement of the election date, Opposition parties claimed that the TMC cadre was preventing their candidates from filing their nomination papers.
'Bombs Hurled To Scare Off Opposition Candidates': Dilip Ghosh
"Many BJP candidates were prevented from filing nominations for the polls in places like Canning and Birbhum. Just yesterday [Tuesday, 13 June], bombs were thrown in some places to scare them off," former West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh alleged while speaking to The Quint, adding, "We fear that such incidents will only increase until the nomination process is over."
However, the TMC said that the BJP and other Opposition parties are attempting to "overplay" the violence.
Senior TMC leader and Lok Sabha MP Saugata Roy said that the party was trying to ensure that no violence takes place. "We are trying our best to control the violence and to ensure that nominations are filed peacefully. However, on Tuesday, the TMC cadre was attacked by the Indian Secular Front (ISF) in Bhangar."
The ISF is a political party which was founded by Pirzada Md Abbas Siddiqui, a well-known cleric in West Bengal, in 2021.
Clashes had broken out between local TMC and ISF cadres outside a Block Development Officer (BDO) building in Bhangar, situated in the state's South 24 Parganas district, which led to vehicles being vandalised and stones being hurled on Tuesday, 13 June.
The clashes broke out despite the imposition of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which has been in place since Monday, 12 June, within a one km radius of all nomination centres. The police, meanwhile, resorted to lathi charges and fired tear gas shells to contain the violence, India Today reported.
Similar clashes were reported in Burdwan on Monday – where TMC and CPI(M) cadres were involved in skirmishes.
However, in a gesture of goodwill, TMC workers were seen offering roses and water bottles to Opposition party candidates in the East Burdwan district when they came to nomination centres to file their papers. Several workers from the Opposition were also invited by TMC workers for tea and biscuits.
This came close on the heels of TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee saying that the panchayat elections should be conducted without any incidents of violence.
Congress Worker Killed by Mob, Opposition Points Finger at TMC
Meanwhile, a Congress worker named Fulchand Sheikh was killed in Khargram in the state's Murshidabad district on Friday, 9 June.
The Congress alleged that the TMC was behind the attack and was using "muscle power" to win the election.
West Bengal Congress spokesperson Soumya Aich said that Sheikh and his entire family were targeted by the mob.
"His 25-year-old son and other members of his family were beaten up as well. Five of them are still in the hospital," Aich told The Quint.
Later, during a protest by Congress workers against Sheikh's death on Saturday, 10 June, a Trinamool worker named Bashir Mollah was arrested by the state police after a handgun was found in his custody.
However, the TMC's Santanu Sen denied the allegations and said that the party had nothing to do with Sheikh's killing.
"The truth behind the matter is something else entirely. The accused person has already been arrested by the police," he said.
HC Orders Deployment of Central Forces
Taking cognisance of the violence across the state, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, 13 June, directed the West Bengal State Election Commission to deploy central paramilitary forces during the polling process.
The court also ordered the installation of CCTV cameras at every booth and counting centre in the state.
Hailing the High Court's decision, the BJP's Dilip Ghosh told The Quint, "If central forces are stationed in West Bengal, only then will people get the courage to cast their ballots. Or else, they will fear being threatened in their homes and bombs will be thrown near polling stations to scare them off."
He also alleged that a climate of fear was being created to prevent the BJP supporters from casting their votes.
"The same thing happened during the 2018 panchayat polls. All the havoc took place in front of the police, but they did nothing. Hence, people don't trust the state police."Dilip Ghosh to The Quint
During the 2018 polls as well, Opposition parties had alleged that the TMC had prevented its candidates from filing nominations and had taken part in large-scale violence and booth rigging.
However, the TMC swept the polls, winning 95 percent of the total seats – 34 percent of which went uncontested.
The TMC, however, seemed unfazed by the High Court's order on the deployment of central forces.
"Central paramilitary forces were deployed during the 2021 Assembly polls and several bypolls after that. However, the people still elected the TMC to power," Shantanu Sen said, adding, "Whatever may be the security arrangement, the people will vote for Mamata Banerjee."
The High Court's decision came after both Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and BJP West Bengal President Sukanta Majumdar requested Governor CV Ananda Bose to deploy central forces in the state during the panchayat elections. While Chowdhury wrote the Governor a letter on Friday, 9 June, Majumdar personally met him to apprise him of the situation.
After the meeting, Bose said that violence during the elections will not be tolerated.
"West Bengal Panchayat election will be conducted in a free and fair manner. Violence will not be tolerated at any cost. I had a meeting with the State Election Commissioner, and all steps will be taken to ensure that the elections are conducted peacefully," the Governor said on Saturday, as per news agency ANI.
Significance of the 2023 Panchayat Elections
The West Bengal panchayat polls will serve as a litmus test to gauge the mood of the public ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Further, success in the panchayat polls will help parties mobilise voters at the grassroots level in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
Hence, all the major political parties in West Bengal – the TMC, BJP, Congress, and the Left – have been pouring in considerable resources for a verdict in their favour.
While the TMC swept the 2018 panchayat and 2021 Assembly elections, several challenges to its power have emerged since then. The party has been at the centre of several controversies, including the alleged Staff Selection Commission (SSC), coal, and cattle-smuggling scams.
While Saugata Roy expressed confidence that the TMC would sweep the polls, the Congress' Aich said that the result would be a shocker to the ruling party.
"The Congress plus the Left have very good chances in this election. People have realised the absurdity of the binary of the TMC and the BJP – which played out during the 2021 Assembly elections," he told The Quint.
On the other hand, the BJP's Dilip Ghosh maintained that the BJP is the only alternative to the TMC in West Bengal.
Elections will be held across 3,317 gram panchayats in West Bengal, comprising of 63,283 seats. The polls will be held in a single phase on 8 July and the results will be declared on 11 July. The last date to file nominations for the polls is Thursday, 15 June.
(With inputs from India Today and ANI.)
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