Following the conclusion of the three-tier panchayat elections in West Bengal, all parties involved have engaged in a war of words, leveling allegations against each other for the violence that led to the loss of 12 lives in various districts. The BJP has called for President's Rule in the state, blaming State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha for the deaths and accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of suppressing democracy.
The TMC, which lost eight supporters in the violence, has countered by accusing the opposition of orchestrating the disturbances and criticizing the central forces for failing to protect voters. The BJP claims that 15 political deaths occurred on the polling day due to incidents of booth capturing, rigging, and fake voting across the districts. They further allege that TMC supporters were involved in confiscating voter and Aadhaar cards, according to PTI.
The opposition leaders, including the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, have called for free and fair elections under President's Rule or Article 355, expressing their lack of confidence in the state administration. However, state ministers from the TMC have dismissed these accusations, highlighting that violence was reported in a small fraction of the booths and districts where polling was held peacefully.
While officials confirm the deaths of eight TMC supporters and one worker each from the BJP, CPI(M), Congress, and Indian Secular Front (ISF), the TMC spokesperson claims that the incidents of violence and deaths have significantly reduced compared to previous elections. In a sarcastic remark, the West Bengal Pradesh Congress president "congratulated" TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee for winning the violent rural polls, suggesting that the elections were marred by irregularities.
The CPI(M) has accused the State Election Commission of conducting a farcical election and placed blame on the ruling party for the deaths. They allege instances of looting during the polling process but note that the ruling party's dominance has diminished since the previous rural polls. Describing the elections as a "very dirty affair," they claim that widespread violence was orchestrated by ruling party activists.
