Questions are being raised on Bengal SEC’s ‘failure’ to conduct peaceful polls.
New Delhi: The West Bengal State Election Commission that is currently conducting the long pending municipal elections in the state has once again come in the eye of the storm from Opposition parties for “failing” to hold peaceful elections in the state, with alleged reports of malpractices like rigging and violence being raised repeatedly by the opposition parties from Bengal.
The state which is going to witness elections in 108 municipalities on 27 February is reporting incidents of sporadic violence and voter intimidation from across the state and the opposition BJP as well as the CPM has alleged that the State Election Commission is behaving like a “mute spectator”.
In the last one week since the elections to these 108 municipalities were declared by the State Election Commission, incidents of “threat” to opposition candidates, “forceful withdrawal of nomination” and violence against BJP candidates have been alleged by the Bengal unit of the BJP.
For example, the ruling Trinamool Congress has already won three municipal corporations–Sainthia, Budge Budge and Dinhata on 9 February since the opposition parties failed to put up candidates against the TMC in these three municipal corporations. But the BJP has alleged that their candidates were held up in different places by TMC goons and could not reach the Sub-Divisional Officer’s office on time. In Dinhata, the BJP alleged that their candidates were caught and locked up inside a house when they reached the office to file their nomination and were therefore prevented from filing their nomination.
Some independent candidates from different parts of Bengal have also raised similar concerns in public domain on how the ruling TMC party workers threatened them to not file their nomination against TMC candidates. Incidents of violence against BJP candidates are also being raised by the party. For example, a BJP candidate from Bongaon municipality was threatened and beaten up by the TMC workers just for putting up posters and party flags in his constituency. Another similar incident of violence against another BJP candidate was also reported from the Haringhata municipal corporation.
Several Opposition candidates from the BJP and the CPM that this correspondent spoke to also shared how TMC workers are going door-to-door to intimidate voters. They say that TMC workers are threatening voters of “teaching them a lesson” if they vote anywhere other than the TMC in the upcoming municipal polls.
“Voters are also being told that all their social welfare facilities will be withdrawn if they vote for the BJP in the upcoming election. They are also spreading a narrative that their votes can be tracked and if the TMC comes to know that one has voted other then their party the voters will be taken to task. We have filed complaint with the concerned officials, but no action has been taken,” a BJP candidate from North 24 Parganas district told this correspondent.
The recently concluded elections to the four municipal corporations–Asansol, Bidhanagar, Chandanagar and Siliguri—have also witnessed incidents of violence and rigging with exception being only that of Siliguri where the elections were held peacefully.
In the Bidhanagar municipal corporation, won by the ruling Trinamool Congress, Opposition parties have raised concerns about massive rigging, violence and voter intimidation. BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari had alleged that more than 10,000 voters from the municipal corporation of Bidhanagar were not allowed to cast their vote and “fake” voting on their names were carried out by the TMC there.
The BJP has also alleged that several dead persons had casted their vote in the Bidhanagar municipal corporation. Reports of widespread violence on the day of polling in Asansol, Bidhanagar and Chandanagar were also reported. Firing, bombing and quarrels were reported throughout the day. The BJP and the CPM alleged that their candidates were beaten up and many were not even allowed to visit their booths. Asansol also reported massive firing outside polling booths in several areas.
The local media reports also showed how “fake” voters were found hiding inside washrooms of the polling stations only to be chased away by reporters. Such incidents were reported from several polling booths in Asansol and Bidhanagar.
Such incidents reminded Bengal of the 2018 Panchayat elections in the state which made national headlines since TMC workers had unleashed violence and threat over the opposition candidates and questions were even then raised on the State Election Commission and its capacity to hold local body peaceful elections in the state. The 2018 Panchayat elections also led to the death of at least 15 people in Bengal.
Keeping this in mind, the BJP has been demanding the deployment of central forces to hold the local body elections to the 108 municipal corporations.
The BJP had moved the Calcutta High Court praying for the deployment of Central forces for the elections to the four municipal elections held earlier this month; however, the Court had left it to the judgement of the State Election Commission and had said that it would be the responsibility of the Election Commission to conduct peaceful elections.
However, the BJP has filed another petition before the Calcutta High Court demanding re-polling in two—Asansol and Bidhanagar—municipal corporations as well as once again demanding the deployment of Central forces in the 108 municipal polls due to held on 27 February, citing the incidents from the concluded municipal polls.