People's Democracy

Even with Intensive Terror,

Left Front Showed Resilience

From Our Special

Correspondent in Kolkata

AS was apprehended, West Bengal panchayat results reflected a distorted picture of the reality in rural Bengal. Trinamool Congress 'won' handsomely in most of the districts in all three tiers. They won with bigger margins wherever the terror was most widespread and intensive. The attacks and violence which started well before the filing of nominations and went through the entire election process was extended to the counting centres too. In many districts Left Front agents were driven out from counting centres; counting officers were forced to change results in ruling party’s favour, even after the counting and ballot papers were snatched away. These incidents mostly took place in Burdwan, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas and Howrah.

The results also showed the resilience of the Left forces in the state. Despite terror and arrogant rhetoric of chief minister herself, the Left Front could not be exterminated. TMC won with wide margins in West Midnapore, East Midnapore, Purulia, Birbhum, Hooghly, Bankura, Coochbehar and South Dinajpur. In all, they won 13 district councils.

Left Front won Jalpaiguri Zilla Parishad by clear majority, wresting 23 seats out of 37.  In North Dinajpur, LF won 13 seats out of 26, while Congress won in 8 and TMC in 5. It was a Congress-run district council. In Maldaha, Left Front won 16, Congress in 16 and TMC in 6. Congress wrested Murshidabad district council by winning 42 out of 70 seats. In Nadia, TMC won 25 while LF won 21 after a close fight.

In Panchayat Samiti level, Left Front won majority samitis or block-level bodies in Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur, Maldaha, Musrshidabad, and Nadia. Out of the total 330 blocks in the state, Left Front won in 68, TMC in 219, Congress in 20 and 20 have been undecided or hung. It is to be noted that TMC won in 870 seats in this level ‘without contest’.

In Murshidabad, LF won majority in 15 block bodies, three more than 2008. In Nadia, LF got 9 PS bodies, two more than TMC. In North 24 Parganas, LF got 4 PS bodies in 2008, which increased to 7 in 2013. This has come despite widespread terror in the district.

In Village Panchayat or GP level, out of a total 3215 GP bodies, Left Front won in 749. TMC won in 1812, Congress in 240, while 393 bodies are hung.  In large number of GP bodies, the ruling party did not allow any opposition parties to file nomination. They won ‘uncontested’ in these bodies.  TMC won in 5356 seats in these bodies as ‘uncontested’ at this level. The actual figure is higher as they have put up ‘dummy’ candidates themselves.

In Murshidabad, LF won 102 GPs, while TMC won 8. In North 24 Parganas, LF won 47 GPs in 2008, which has increased to 60 in 2013. In South 24 Parganas LF has won 94 GPs and 58 in Jalpaiguri. Even in East Midnapore, a stronghold of TMC, Left Front won 43 GPs. In Nadia again, LF won 51 GPs while 48 are still undecided. These figures, along with many other districts showed that Left Front has not been ‘wiped out’ as has been claimed by the ruling party or a section of the media. On the contrary, in comparison with 2011 assembly election results, it was the ruling party which suffered erosion in support.

TMC’s winning streak was largely manifested in the districts and areas where terror was much widespread. They won ‘handsomely’ in terrorised areas in Coochbehar, South Dinajpur, West Midnapore, East Midnapore, Birbhum, Burdwan. In North and South 24 Parganas, Left Front alleged from the beginning that TMC was out to capture by force an entire area in the border of the two districts. That has happened and the TMC won seats in those areas.

Despite this rigging and continuous terrorisation of people and almost 50 deaths during the election period, resistance by the Left and people was remarkable. Braving violence, the villagers voted for the Left parties in hundreds of villages in the state. Around 9000 LF candidates have won in three tiers. The Left Front, while condemning the vicious attacks on democracy in panchayat elections, has called for a protest march on August 7 in Kolkata.

MP THWARTED

FROM VOTING

In a blatant incident of terrorisation, CPI(M) Loksabha member Mahendra Roy could not cast his vote in panchayat elections as he was attacked in front of the booth on July 25. He, along with his wife was assaulted in booth no. 141 in Kukurjan in Rajganj of Japaiguri district. Roy represents Rajganj parliamentary constituency in Loksabha.  TMC miscreants captured the booth from morning and prevented voters from casting their votes. Repeated complaints to district administration did not produce any result. Mahendra Roy went there to cast his vote and was gheraoed by TMC activists. There were no central forces nearby.

The last phase of panchayat elections in four districts of West Bengal, all in northern Bengal, witnessed violence, murderous assaults, booth capturing and rigging in large number again. Voting took place in Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur, and South Dinajpur.

In North Dinajpur, a CPI(M) supporter Abdul Aziz was killed in Itahar in front of the booth when TMC miscreants attacked him and several other villagers with sharp weapons. TMC captured the booth from morning and when villagers gathered there to protest, the goons attacked them. Sirajul Islam’s right hand was chopped off from arm. Fingers of Idu Das, wife of CPI(M) candidate were also chopped off.

TMC captured booths in Itahar, Chopra and Raiganj of this district. In many villages armed bike borne gangs moved, threatening the villagers not to come to booths.

In South Dinajpur, TMC captured booths in Gangarampur, Tapan, Kumarganj. In many places TMC activists chased away voters from booths. Many Left Front agents were forcibly evicted from booths. Hundreds of people could not cast their votes.

In Coochbehar, violence was more widespread. In Tufanganj, Sitai, Sitalkuchi, Dinhata and Mathabhanga blocks, many booths were practically in control of TMC activists. They did not allow Left Front agents inside the booths. In Panishala, even CPI(M) candidates were not allowed to vote.

In Jalpaiguri, three persons were injured at Talguri under Maynaguri while another person was hit on his head when he was going to cast his vote today. All the four persons were CPI(M) supporters. Three CPI(M) supporters were injured at Paharpur area of the district, when TMC attacked in the village. Around 500 villagers were not allowed to vote in Kukurjan along with the CPI(M) Member of Parliament.

Biman Basu condemned the violence and said that the ruling party tried to turn the entire election process into farce. People in villages in West Bengal have lost their democratic right to choose their representatives.