There is no place for violence in democracy and Bengal panchayat poll deaths raise serious concerns
The worst fears have come true in West Bengal where widespread violence has taken place during the three-tier panchayat polls. The sporadic violence has led to the death of at least 16 people. This was despite the deployment of central reserve forces across the state. The violence that marred the panchayat elections in West Bengal has raised serious concerns about the state of democracy in the state. The BJP has already asked for the president’s rule in the state saying the law and order has collapsed in the state. This electoral process, meant to be a celebration of grassroots democracy, turned into a battlefield, undermining the very essence of democratic principles. It indeed has a detrimental impact on the democratic fabric of our society. Historically, West Bengal has been a hotbed of political rivalry, leading to an environment conducive to violence during elections. Political parties often perceive these local elections as crucial for consolidating power and gaining ground at the state level. This fierce competition and the desperation to secure victory at any cost fuel the violent tendencies witnessed during the polls. Having said that, it could have been stopped had the State and the Central government had the will to do so. TMC, the party in power has most resources at its disposal. Even before the polls, the reports of threats to candidates fighting against TMC were reported. But nothing was done about it. The TMC as per the exit polls is likely to sweep the panchayat polls which is only expected in such a scenario. On the other hand, though the Central Govt did send 60,000+ security forces, it was least bothered to collaborate with the State Govt as it saw an opportunity to discredit the State Government and who knows even a pretext to slap president rule.
Now that the elections are over and results would be out on July 11, a new blame game is going to start after TMC sweeps the polls as predicted by the Exit polls. But this is no democracy. West Bengal is one of the few states in the country to hold panchayat elections and TMC should take the blame for smothering the grassroots democracy painstakingly built over the years. Winning is not everything in a democracy, strengthening democratic institutions is. After winning panchayat elections where ballot boxes were burnt and polling agents beaten up, what locus standi would Mamata Banerjee have to call for strengthening democracy in the 2024 General elections? She wins elections but loses credibility. Not all is lost yet, if she could take the moral responsibility and back the opposition’s call for repolls where such incidents took place, she could salvage her image. She should take strict action against those found inciting violence or engaging in criminal activities. Besides, there is a need for electoral reforms, including independent monitoring of the election process. Transparency, accountability, and a level playing field for all parties must be ensured.