Time warp

Time warp

Bengal panchayat polls see violence on voting day too, this pattern must be broken.

Despite court orders and additional security arrangements, panchayat polls in Bengal were marred by significant violence. Over 10 people were killed and several injured with reports also coming in of ballot boxes being set on fire, vehicles being burnt and poll officials being attacked. Twenty people were injured in a low-intensity blast at a polling station at Shuktabari in Coochbehar. CPM also alleged that a worker of the party and his wife were locked inside their house and burnt alive in Namkhana of South 24 Parganas. All of this comes after the nomination process itself had seen deaths, clashes and accusations that the ruling Trinamool Congress was preventing opposition candidates from contesting.

In fact, this had forced the Calcutta high court to order an extension of the nomination process to April 23. In spite of this, Trinamool won a record 34% of the total seats uncontested. Though the Supreme Court has prevented the West Bengal State Election Commission from notifying these uncontested results, the fact that five years ago panchayat elections in the state had seen just 11% uncontested wins underlines a quantum jump. Even if all parties share blame for Bengal’s violent political culture Trinamool has taken strong-arm tactics to a whole new level.

Bengal appears caught in a time warp. Contrast this with the recent Karnataka assembly polls that were equally intense and higher in stakes, but yet witnessed no major violence. Besides, Trinamool as the ruling party is responsible for law and order in the state. And if Congress, CPM and BJP – bitter foes otherwise – have come together to oppose Trinamool goondaism, then something is truly rotten in the state. Bengal must break this vicious cycle of political violence, otherwise it can’t progress.