Bengal high poll turnout is slap on Maoists’ face
Given months of legal wrangling between the State Government and the Election Commission in West Bengal over poll schedules and the deployment of security forces, it is heartening to note that the first phase of panchayat election in the State has not only been relatively peaceful but also registered a markedly high voter turnout. This is particularly comforting because until recently the three districts that went to the polls on Thursday — Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore — collectively formed West Bengal's Maoist corridor.
Popularly known as Junglemahal for its vast tracts of forest land, this area was under the control of insurgents for almost a decade. During that time, the Maoists either ended or occupied every position of popular representation and violently prohibited the people from exercising their franchise. In fact, since 2006, no resident of Junglemahal had voted in any election — local, State or national. Even during the 2011 State Assembly poll, when the Maoists had loosened their grip slightly and announced that the people were free to vote if they so desired — this, many believe, was because the Maoists tacitly supported the Trinamool Congress which eventually swept the election — the residents had still stayed away out of fear of retribution.
The situation only changed after Maoist leader M Koteswara Rao, alias Kishenji, was killed by security forces in November 2011, forcing his group to retreat. In the year-and-a-half since then, Junglemahal has slowly tried to limp back to normalcy with the State Government gradually taking back control of the area — one road, one school, one pond, one panchayat at a time. But the biggest test for democracy was Thursday's poll; and Junglemahal passed it with flying colours. According to the State Election Commission, West Midnapore registered 74 per cent polling, Bankura 76 per cent and Purulia 75 per cent. In fact, even though polling was supposed to close at five in the evening, the booths had to be kept open till 10pm, so as to accommodate the thousands who had waited for several hours to cast their vote. Women especially came out in large numbers, and this was true even in ultra-sensitive places like West Midnapore's Pirakata, Bhimpur, Salboni, Goaltore and also Mathurapur village, once considered to be Kishenji's home. By the end of the day, even though there were some reports of sporadic violence and election rigging, polling ended on a peaceful note. Junglemahal's overwhelming enthusiasm for the ballot goes a long way in debunking the Maoists' argument in favour of the bullet.
This electoral success story is a particularly sweet one for the State Government of West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's carrot-and-stick policy of offering sops to the people and also cracking down on Maoists has proved to be effective. Additionally, the State's Election Commission led by Ms Meera Pandey also deserves much of the credit for the polling victory. Despite all the acrimony between Ms Banerjee and Ms Pandey, the fact remains that both eventually worked to ensure a free and fair election. This is a victory for democracy, regardless of which party wins the largest number of seats.