Bengal Panchayat Polls: D-Day For TMC Vs BJP Ahead Of 2024 After Month Of Violence — Recap In 5 Points

Voting is underway for the Bengal Panchayat elections after a month of heavy violence and blame game between BJP and TMC. Here's a recap of he turn of events.

Voting has begun for the crucial West Bengal Panchayat elections amid heavy security by the central forces a month after incidents of violence hit the state. Prime competitors - BJP and TMC- blamed each other for the unrest and arson in Bengal and asked residents to vote for them. The polls are going to be a litmus test for the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections.The polls come at a time when the Mamata Banerjee-led ruling party in the state is facing various charges of corruption and a number of its leaders have been arrested by CBI and ED. PTI reported that around 5.67 crore voters are expected to cast ballots for nearly 928 seats spread among 22 zilla parishads, 9,730 panchayat samities, and 63,229 gramme panchayats. Here's what all happened in run up to the Bengal rural elections:

Bengal Panchayat Elections: A Recap

• The Supreme Court dismissed a plea by the West Bengal government challenging the Calcutta High Court's order regarding the deployment of central forces during West Bengal panchayat elections and said that holding elections cannot be a "licence for violence". The SC refused to interfere with the HC order. While hearing the plea, the top court noted that what the HC may have thought is that instead of requisitioning forces from other neighbouring states, it is better to deploy central forces and expenses would be borne by the Centre. SC further said that holding elections cannot be a license for violence. The Calcutta High Court had ordered the State Election Commission (SEC) to deploy Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for the West Bengal Panchayat elections. As per the directions, booths will have 50 per cent CISF and state police respectively, out of which, 65000 will be central forces, and 70000 state forces.

 

• Several incidents of violence were reported from across Bengal in the run-up to the Panchayat polls. Clashes were reported from Bhangore in South 24 Parganas where crude bombs were hurled. A clash broke out allegedly between the TMC and CPIM at Duttapukur in North 24 Parganas. A clash broke out between two groups in Gitaldaha in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar. As per an ANI report, 5 people received bullet injuries during the clash of which one died. The incident came days after a clash broke out in the district between the workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party during scrutiny of nomination papers for the panchayat elections. Since the panchayat polls were announced in early June, at least 11 people have been killed and dozens have been injured across the state.

 

• For the first time, Raj Bhavan took an active part in resolving the issue of poll violence, with Governor C V Ananda Bose establishing a 'Peace Home' at the governor's residence to address aam aadmi grievances. The Raj Bhavan inhabitant was spotted hurrying to violence-stricken districts to console victims and their relatives, earning praise from the BJP but attracting condemnation from the ruling TMC. Following cases of fresh clashes that erupted, the Governor of West Bengal, CV Ananda Bose took stock of the situation in the violence-hit Cooch Behar district's Dinhata and other affected areas. 

 

• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sent notices to the Centre, the West Bengal government and the state election commission, seeking reports on "human rights protection measures" taken for the upcoming panchayat elections, reported PTI. The NHRC also deputed its director general(investigation) as a special human rights observer to conduct an on-spot survey of West Bengal, in consultation with the state election commission (SEC), to identify "sensitive constituencies" prone to violence in the upcoming polls. The NHRC took suo motu cognisance of a media report about the incidents of various election-related violence in West Bengal where people from political parties have been targeted.

 

• Both BJP and TMC slammed each other for the violence in the state and accused each other's party leaders of corruption. TMC deputy chief whip Tapas Roy told PTI that BJP's manifesto for the rural poll bears little significance as the party stands no chance of winning. BJP will lose in most of the panchayat and zilla parishad seats as it does not enjoy the people's support, he claimed. Asked about apprehensions voiced by opposition parties, including BJP about non deployment of central forces during panchayat voting Meanwhile, BJP's Sukanta Majumdar said that the TMC wants to make the rural polls a replay of 2018, but BJP won't allow this to happen this time. He said that BJP will defeat the TMC. Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari sought a thorough investigation into the abnormally high number of nominations filed by the ruling Trinamool Congress. While accusing the Trinamool Congress candidate from North 24 Parganas district Shahjahan Sheikh of hiding financial facts in the affidavit attached to his nomination, he said over 40,000 nominations by the TMC need urgent investigations.