Why panchayat polls in West Bengal see so much violence

Polling for the crucial three-tier West Bengal panchayat elections began at 7 am on Saturday amidst widespread violence and killings. The polls could alter the state’s political setting and serve as a litmus test for the forthcoming 2024 parliamentary elections. Along with writers and movie producers, West Bengal is also widely known for its election-related violence. On 8 June, when the election dates were revealed, there were incidents of violence reported around the state. According to PTI, this led to the deaths of around 15 persons, including a teenager. With Governor C V Ananda Bose opening a “Peace Home” at the governor’s residence to address complaints from the locals, Raj Bhavan took an active part for the first time in addressing the issue of electoral violence. This time, the governor was spotted hurrying to violent areas to comfort the victims and their families. There are 73,887 seats available in these elections, including those for zilla parishads, gram panchayats, and panchayat samitis. A total of 61,636 booths have been set up for the polls. As a result of these seats being gained without opposition, 1,043 booths, or 10 per cent of the total, will not be used for voting, according to The Indian Express. Also read: West Bengal: Voting begins for Panchayat polls amid heightened security West Bengal’s panchayat polls violence Politics in West Bengal have long featured violence. Even though the legacy’s characteristics have changed recently, it still exists. 2013 and 2018 were the years that shooting, bombing, arson, stone-throwing, and cutting off body parts were reported. 13 people passed away as a result of the 2018 panchayat elections, according to official data. In addition, the lead-up to the elections, which were the most tumultuous in decades, saw the deaths of 30 persons. The TMC won 34 per cent of the seats without any opposition, and 17.66 per cent of the opposition candidates were unable to submit their nominations. In order to avoid repetition, the opposition has intensified its criticism of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which is currently in power. It’s not just the Mamata Banerjee-led party, which took over in Bengal in 2011 after 34 years of Left-wing rule and is still in power there. There were almost 70 and 36 fatalities in 2003 and in 2008 respectively, when the Left-wing was in power. [caption id=“attachment_12842612” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] View of a car set ablaze during a clash between supporters of Indian Secular Front (ISF) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Bhangore area ahead of the upcoming Panchayat poll, in South 24 Parganas. PTI[/caption] Rampaging cadres have not spared even security personnel. Since Bengal was the first state to hold panchayat elections, the issue has again reached the Supreme Court, which will hear petitions involving the use of central forces to quell unrest there. For ten days following the announcement of the results on 11 July, the Calcutta High Court has directed that around 65,000 active central police officers and 70,000 state police officers be deployed for the polls in order “to ensure the safety of people and elected panchayat members.” However, this didn’t go well with the state. At least three individuals, including one from the BJP and two from the TMC, the incumbent government, are said to have died in violence during polling today. In Cooch Behar, polling places were damaged and ballots were burned. The TMC, meanwhile, claimed that two party members had been shot and wounded in Domkol while three of their party members had been killed in Rejinagar, Tufanganj, and Khargram, according to media reports. Nandigram-Block 1 voters in the East Medinipur district have made up their minds to abstain from voting till central forces have been stationed at booths 67 and 68 in the Mahammadpur No 2 neighbourhood. In this election, charges of obstruction of candidates’ ability to file nominations, coercion of candidates to withdraw their nominations, and intimidation of political rivals have also surfaced. After submitting their candidature papers, candidates from opposition parties and independents had to go into hiding, reported The Hindu. Also read: West Bengal panchayat elections: How people of the violence-hit state yearn for a positive change The reason panchayat polls are blood bath Bengal’s panchayat elections violence is more complex than just one dominant party using violence against all others. Instead, all parties engage in a culture of violence throughout election season in addition to internal factional conflicts. But why? Long before the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution, which formally ushered in local governance across India, were passed, West Bengal was well known for its effective panchayats. According to the Hindustan Times quoted professor Dwaipayan Bhattacharya as saying, this was a result of the “party society” that emerged during the Left’s dominance over the state; panchayats were in charge of carrying out specific types of policies as well as social and political mobilisation. This suggested that widespread popular mobilisation and policy implementation were contingent on panchayats being under nearly universal authority. As Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has developed a close relationship with voters through more centralised financial transfers and grievance redressal channels, the panchayat’s role in policymaking has substantially changed today. However, social control’s logic and, consequently, the ability of neighbourhood panchayats to look after their residents, are mostly still intact. A strong panchayat is one that denies residents any other access to the State’s levers and restricts access to them. Unfortunately, this urge to show social control also leads to a demonstration of violent tendencies, according to the report. The outlet explained why this reasoning is crucial for the state’s election outcomes. [caption id=“attachment_12842652” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrives ahead of the opposition meeting, in Patna. PTI[/caption] If a panchayat can show social control, a voter will be reluctant to support another party because doing so would sever the link between the panchayat and the State. In this way, it is commonly known that influencing panchayats will influence the results of upcoming elections. However, this does not mean that the panchayats are always under the influence of the ruling party. In fact, the Left lost the panchayats first as a result of the unrest in Singur and Nandigram, which came before they were thoroughly defeated in the state and federal elections. In this way, the panchayat vote also serves as a gauge of how well-organised each party is. However, it’s not just about political influence. Elections always have a lot on the line, therefore political parties not only spend all their money trying to win over voters but also use their strength to frighten opposing party cadres. Also read: Dark destiny looms as Bengal, other states lavish OBC quota on Muslims Violence under Left-wing CPM’s rule During the CPM’s rule in West Bengal, using violence to win elections became commonplace. And the party held power in the state for a sizable period of time. The situation improved in surrounding states like Bihar and even Uttar Pradesh as electoral reforms began to take effect under the tenure of then-chief election commissioner TN Seshan, but voter intimidation persisted in Bengal, according to India Today. If a person wasn’t a supporter of the Left cadre during the CPM’s control, they were not eligible for government rations or file a police complaint to allege wrongdoing. Bengal has always been a distinct state with pronounced societal divides and has a significant economic divide. It is not like Bihar, where Munger or Muzaffarpur can both be found in areas of extreme poverty and social decay. The stark class and caste split during Communist rule in Bengal was paradoxical. Top leaders typically come from upper castes like Kayastha and Brahmin. Cohesion and violence were brought on by the ensuing unrest. Community members were mobilised because they were aware that the police couldn’t assist them. Violence wasn’t only a normal and spontaneous technique of achieving an aim when such people entered politics, explained the broadcast channel. At the time, India was also dealing with inflation and war, which worsened the jobs crisis and inspired protests from labour unions, students, and other groups. Then came the national emergency by the then-prime minister Indira Gandhi, which worsened the whole situation. Banerjee’s rise & more frequent clashes Political violence was mostly caused by the Naxalite movement when it was at its peak. But later, the Naxalite activists were outlawed. In the 1990s, there were frequent clashes between CPM cadres and Congress workers. By this time, Mamata Banerjee, who is currently TMC chair and serving her third term as chief minister of West Bengal, was a rising figure in state politics.  She had just joined the Congress and was about 20 years old when she gained popularity by dancing on the car of socialist icon Jayaprakash Narayan, who had challenged Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s power, in protest. The Left never appealed to her. She was harassed and detained in 1992 by the police of then-Chief Minister Jyoti Basu for trying to get justice for a girl who had reportedly been raped by CMP members at Writer’s Building, the city’s legislative building. She was also injured during the march in July 1993 and the police firing incident had claimed the lives of 14 people. Embarrassed, she vowed to only ever re-enter the state headquarters in Kolkata as the chief minister, which she did. Eventually, political disputes between the CPM cadre and Banerjee’s party members and supporters increased, especially after she founded her own party, TMC. Congress was losing its prominence in the state by this time. CPM members went on to attack a gathering of opposing organisations, including the TMC, in January 2002, which resulted in 11 fatalities. In Medinipur, Nandigram became a flashpoint after 14 people were killed during clashes between CPM and TMC supporters in 2007. This led Banerjee to become the focal point of Bengal’s opposition politics, according to India Today. As Banerjee grew to prominence, there were reports of more frequent clashes. As Bengal prepared for the assembly elections in January 2011, 14 persons were killed in West Midnapore. However, her campaign ended the state’s 34-year-long CPM rule a few months later. One of the most significant instances of political violence, for instance, occurred in Nunoor in July 2000. The TMC, a party Mamata Banerjee founded after she broke with the Congress, clashed violently with supporters of the CPM, which was in power at the time. BJP’s entry The BJP, which became the central pole in politics, then entered West Bengal in recent years. Banerjee is currently serving her third term as chief minister, and political unrest in Bengal is now being characterised by disputes between TMC and BJP supporters. In Birbhum district in March 2021, 10 people, including women and children, were burned alive in what was thought to be vengeance for the murder of a TMC deputy chief Bhadu Sheikh. In 2021, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was speaking during the West Bengal Assembly election campaign, claimed more than 300 BJP workers were killed. He attributed these purported political killings to the TMC. However, the TMC disputed the accusation. The same year, the Assembly election was conducted over the course of eight phases with a significant deployment of central forces. However, there was widespread post-election violence not long after the results were declared. In August 2021, the Calcutta High Court ordered the CBI to investigate the post-election violence, and by January 2022, the central organisation had registered more than 50 cases, including murder and sexual assault. The Bengal panchayat elections at this point of time are also a crucial political test for the TMC, BJP, and Left-Congress coalition ahead of the 2024 general elections. The panchayat elections are taking place while the Indian political opposition is attempting to unite, with Banerjee serving as a crucial mediator, in order to prevent Prime Minister Narendra Modi from obtaining a third consecutive term. With inputs from agencies