Voting for the crucial three-tier West Bengal panchayat elections began at 7am on Saturday amid concerns of violence. Widespread violence, which resulted in the deaths of over 16 people, were reported since the polls were announced on June 8. Around 5.67 crore people are eligible to cast their votes for nearly 74,000 seats in zilla parishads, panchayat samitis and gram panchayats.
Tight security in place
Amid apprehensions that voting day could be marred by violence, central forces and state police have been deployed in polling booths across the state. The Calcutta High Court had earlier ordered deployment of central forces to all polling stations on voting day. The State Election Commission also directed district authorities to ensure that two armed police personnel—one each from central forces and state police— be deployed at each polling booth on Saturday.
According to reports, 65,000 central police personnel and 70,000 state police personnel have been deployed. The HC also directed central forces to remain in the state for 10 days after results are declared on July 11 to ensure safety of elected members.
Governor C.V. Ananda Bose has been actively overseeing security arrangements in the state, and visited violence-hit areas in various districts over the past few weeks. He also opened a 'Peace Home' at the governor's house to address complaints amid poll violence. The governor described Saturday's panchayat polls as a "fight between ballots and bullets" and said that he would monitor the situation throughout the state and take corrective measures.
Key players
Campaigning for the crucial rural polls concluded on Thursday. The ruling Trinamool Congress, the BJP and an alliance of the Congress and Left parties are the key players in the fray. For the TMC and the BJP, the rural polls will be a litmus test ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The Indian Secular Front (ISF), with its limited presence in parts of North and South 24 Parganas, too grabbed headlines as its leader and lone MLA Nawsad Siddique led the party's campaign, which often resulted in clashes with the ruling TMC in Bhangor in South 24 Parganas. TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led the party's campaign this year along with her nephew and the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The TMC is contesting all the 928 seats in zilla parishads, 9,419 seats in panchayat samitis and 61,591 seats in gram panchayats. The BJP has fielded candidates in 897 zilla parishad seats, 7,032 panchayat samiti seats and 38,475 seats in gram panchayats.
The CPI(M) is fighting 747 zilla parishad seats, 6,752 panchayat samiti seats and 35,411 gram panchayat seats. The Congress is contesting 644 zilla parishad seats, 2,197 panchayat samiti seats and 11,774 gram panchayat seats.
In 2018, the TMC swept the panchayat elections by winning 73 per cent of the gram panchayat seats, 90 per cent of the panchayat samitis and 95 per cent of the zilla parishad seats. Interestingly, the TMC won 34 per cent of seats unopposed—there were no candidates from the opposition parties in all these seats. These polls, too, were marred by widespread violence, with the opposition alleging they were prevented from filing nominations in several seats.
-with PTI inputs