Birbhum: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters during a road show on the last day of the state Panchayat election campaigning at Ahmadpur, in Birbhum district, Thursday, July 6, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Campaigning for the West Bengal panchayat polls concluded on Thursday and polling for about 73,897 panchayat seats in the State will be held on Saturday (July 8). Ever since the notification of panchayat elections was published on June 8, there has been frantic campaigning by political parties. There have been numerous incidents of violence and 17 people have lost their lives over the past one month.
Centre blocking funds
Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee who has been campaigning for his party, concluded the campaign with a press conference at Kolkata Press Club. Mr. Banerjee said that people will vote against the deliberate attempts by the Centre to deprive people of the State by blocking funds for key central schemes like MGNREGA. “The BJP cannot fight Mamata Banerjee and that is why their leaders are depriving people of the State of their rights,” Mr. Banerjee said. The Trinamool leader said that MGNREGA funds to the tune of Rs 7,500 crore are pending with the Centre.
Asked about the incidents of violence the Trinamool Congress general secretary said, “do you think it is under control”.
Mr. Banerjee said that hundreds of people were killed in panchayat polls in 2003 and 2008 during Left Front rule. He added that the majority of nominations to contest have been filed by Opposition parties and thus the Trinamool has ensured that everyone can contest.
Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari who led the campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party called for Opposition unity against the Trinamool Congress. Mr. Adhikari who has been trying to popularise a slogan “No vote to Mamata” said that all the Opposition parties need to come together in the panchayat elections to defeat Trinamool so that “democracy can be restored”.
Two more killed
Meanwhile, two more have died in the past 24 hours in incidents allegedly relating to the panchayat polls. The remains of Dilip Nahra, whose wife Chobi Nahara is an independent candidate, were recovered from the Serenda area in Birbhum district’s Mohammad Bazar police station. The family members alleged that Dilip Nahra was a victim of political violence since his wife was contesting as an independent.
In the adjoining Murshidabad district Kamal Sheikh was killed in a crude bomb blast at Beldanga. Ingredients for crude bombs were recovered near the body. On June 24, another body was found in the same area.
Central forces to stay ten days
In a related development, the Calcutta High Court directed that central forces be deployed for 10 more days after the polls. “Though it may not be right for a Court to predict any violence during the ensuing elections, the applicant’s apprehension cannot be brushed aside, given past experience. We are only concerned with the protection of the public at large and if such violence takes place it would affect the public. There are chances of post poll violence in victory processions of winning candidates, etc. Therefore, let the central forces be deployed for 10 more days after the declaration of results,” a Division Bench of Chief Justice T. S. Sivagnanam and Justice Uday Kumar observed.
Meanwhile, polling will be held at 61, 636 polling booths in West Bengal on Saturday. After several orders by the Calcutta High Court, 822 companies of central armed police forces are to be deployed on the day of polls. Each polling booth will have one trooper from the central force and one from the state armed police. About 5.67 crore voters will be eligible to vote for 63,239-gram panchayats , 9730 panchayat samities and 928 zilla parishad seats.