With the beginning of the process of the three-tier Panchayat elections in West Bengal, news of political violence has started making headlines. So far, at least four political activists have been killed in the nomination process for Panchayat elections in three districts of West Bengal.
The first killing occurred in Murshidabad. There was a violent clash between Congress and ruling Trinamool Congress workers over nominations, resulting in the murder of Congress worker Fulchand Sheikh. Murshidabad is considered a stronghold of the Congress.
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After that, a political clash in Chopra, Uttar Dinajpur, resulted in the death of a worker from the Marxist Communist Party of India (MCPI). In the Bhanga area of South 24 Parganas district, a worker from the Indian Secular Front (ISF) and Trinamool Congress also died in clashes.
Naushad Siddiqui, the MLA of the Indian Secular Front from the Bhanga constituency, claimed that Trinamool Congress supporters took away nomination papers of their candidates in front of the police, but no action was taken by the police. The MCPI also accused the Trinamool Congress of the same. Giasuddin Molla, a leader of MCPI from the Bhanga area, said that Trinamool Congress supporters snatched documents from their hands and beat them.
In response to allegations of orchestrated attacks, Chief Minister and Supreme Leader of the Trinamool Congress, Mamata Banerjee, said that the attacks were not one-sided. She said that she had instructed the police to take action against the culprits. Banerjee also stated that her party did not give tickets to those involved in violence.
Elections for 74,000 positions
Elections are being held for 74,000 positions in the district panchayat, panchayat samiti, and gram panchayat in West Bengal. This includes 63,239 seats for gram panchayats, 9,730 seats for panchayat samitis, and 928 seats for district panchayats.
The nomination process started on June 9 for these positions, and the last day for nominations was June 15. The total of 56,721,234 voters in the state will cast their votes on July 8.
In view of the continuous violence and killings in different parts of the state, BJP leader Subhendu Adhikari and Congress senior leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury approached the Calcutta High Court and demanded the deployment of central forces in these elections.
The court has ordered the deployment of central forces during the voting process in all 22 districts of West Bengal as requested in the petition. The court has also ordered the identification of sensitive areas. The identification of sensitive areas is still pending.
However, there is doubt whether the deployment of central forces will curb the violence, as in previous Panchayat elections, central forces were deployed, but violent clashes still occurred, resulting in loss of life.
History of Political Violence in Bengal
The occurrence of violence during Panchayat elections in Bengal is not new. Even during the Panchayat elections in 2018, there was horrific violence in West Bengal, which claimed the lives of 19 people.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2021, seven people were killed in West Bengal due to political reasons. Similarly, in the year 2020, there were 36 incidents of political violence in West Bengal, resulting in the death of 68 individuals. In that year, three people were killed due to political reasons in West Bengal.
Statistics indicate that there is a significant increase in political violence after a change in power and for some time thereafter. In 2011, the Left Front, which had been in power in West Bengal for three decades, was defeated, and the Trinamool Congress formed the government. According to the data from the National Crime Records Bureau, there were 22 killings due to political violence in the state in the following year, 2012, which increased to 26 in 2013.
West Bengal has a long history of violence during elections, dating back to the 1970s. In 1997, during the Left Front government, the then Home Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya stated in the Assembly that between 1977 and 1996, 28,000 people died in political violence in West Bengal.
Sujata Bhadra, who has written a research-based book on political violence in West Bengal, states that not only opposition party workers but also workers from the ruling parties lose their lives in political violence.
It is known that most of the political violence occurs for “territorial dominance.” “Territorial dominance” means the exclusive control of a particular party over an area. If a political party establishes dominance in an area, the votes in that area will go to the candidates of that party, and the contracts obtained in that area will also go to the leaders of that political party, which becomes a significant source of income.
Experts also point out the reasons for more violence during Panchayat elections. Prabhakar Mani Tiwari, a journalist from West Bengal, says, “Panchayat elections are at the rural level. The party that performs better in these elections will also perform better in the Assembly elections. That’s why there is more violence during Panchayat elections.”
Experts also mention that all political parties have hired goons for territorial dominance.
Political observer Vishwanath Chakravarti says, “The political culture in West Bengal has been violent. The party that comes to power aims to weaken the opposition parties to the extent that their existence is not left, and violence is used for this purpose.”
The points mentioned by Vishwanath Chakravarti are also evident in the data. After the historic victory of the Trinamool Congress in the 2011 Assembly elections, when the Congress and the Left Front (including all left-wing parties) joined forces, they could only win 72 seats, while the Trinamool Congress captured 211 seats.
Before that, in the 2006 Assembly elections, the Left Front won on more than 220 seats. In contrast, in 2001, the Congress, which was the main opposition party, won only 26 seats.
The first Assembly elections in West Bengal were held in 1952, and in those elections, the Congress won 150 seats and formed the government, while the Communist Party of India (CPI) had to settle for only 28 seats.
Another political analyst, Eka Jana, states that political violence is not only supported by goons but also involves the use of state machinery, including the police.
Political violence is not one-sided.
However, it is not the case that this violence is one-sided. The party that is stronger in a particular area engages in violence against opposing parties.
Prabhakar Mani Tiwari says, “If the BJP is strong in North Bengal, their workers spread violence there. Where the Congress is strong, they spread violence there. Similarly, where the Trinamool is strong, their workers turn violence into a weapon. Although in the political blame game, one party may accuse another party, the truth is that all parties are involved in it.”
But the question is, will the cycle of political violence in West Bengal come to an end? Tiwari says, “I don’t think there will be any control over it in the future.”
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