West Bengal’s Birbhum, a relatively small district, has been a political hotbed in the state for a while now. Home to Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan, the region has repeatedly made headlines for its political violence. 

The incidents of, murder, loot and land grabbing started from the early 90s, at the peak of Left rule. With Shantiniketan and the surrounding area emerging as a popular real estate investment destination, the focus soon shifted to land encroachment. 

Birbhum's politics had chiefly centred around the complexities surrounding the implementation of Left era land reforms. Landowners acquired arms and armed support bases in an effort to keep the land under their control. Those who got ownership of land were on one side and original landowners largely supported whoever was the chief anti-Left force of the day. Later, Maoist attacks spread significant fear in Birbhum. As more and more CPI(M) workers were killed in the Jharkhand border regions, more party members moved over to the TMC. Then railway minister Mamata Banerjee promised rail jobs to members of the families of slain party workers.

In one of the early instances of political violence, 11 people were massacred in Suchpur village of Nanur in 2000, then a stronghold of the left, over allegations of land grabbing. This incident marked the entry of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the district – the party claimed the slain 11 were its supporters – and subsequent consolidation of the anti-Left movement which would dominate Bengal politics for years to come. 

Last year, violence erupted following the death of a local TMC leader, Bhadu Sheikh, in the nearby Bogtui village which resulted in the loss of nine lives, including that of women and children. The incident sent shockwaves throughout the country, prompting widespread protests and condemnation.

Incidentally, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was born and spent her childhood in Birbhum. Her maternal relatives hold key TMC positions in the district. Ashish Banerjee, her cousin was managing the party affairs in the district, till Anubrata Mondal, his close aide, grabbed the Trinamool supremo’s attention. Known for his aggressive and outspoken nature, and often making controversial statements that stir debates and controversies, Mondal has played a crucial role in mobilising party workers and supporters during elections, contributing to theTMC's stunning success in the Birbhum region. 

Despite his arrest in connection with a multi-crore cattle smuggling case, Mondal remains a key figure in Birbhum’s political scenario, wielding considerable influence and maintaining support from the top leadership. This has also brought attention to alleged corruption practices within the party's ranks and fissures over the share of bounty.

A recent viral video is testimony to this. In the video, the head of Kasba gram panchayat Pratima Hembram, a woman from a tribal community, is seen asking the contractor, “You are giving everyone a share, where is mine?"

The contractor tells her “They made you the head by stopping the nomination of the opponents, what else do they want?”

The head says, “Will I go to the office, burning petrol, for nothing? And when everyone is getting a share, why won’t I get it? I am signing checks. I will not sign any check without getting money!” 

It is just a video shot on mobile. However, it is symbolic of the key questions facing the ruling party.

1. What is the benefit of being a representative without financial gain? 
2. Why should a tribal woman be 'deprived' when everyone else is making money illegally? She is the head of the panchayat too.
3. Those who did not allow the opposition to file nomination papers and have made the area ‘opposition free’ have not become contractors. They possibly think, “A tribal woman has been made the head of the panchayat without any hindrance, what else does she possibly want?”

Panchayat elections are due in West Bengal this year. However, the state government is resisting the opposition’s demand to announce the poll dates. This video is symbolic of politics in the district. 

This is the same village where the ruling party’s district president Anubrata Mondal threatened to hurl a bomb at the police. The 2018 panchayat polls in the district were marred with violence and intimidation by the ruling party. 

Mondal has been accused of using police power to oppress both political opponents and dissenting voices within his own party. There are claims that false cases, such as those related to cow smuggling, were filed against him by his adversaries and he was incarcerated. 

In Mondal’s absence, his opponents within the party are making efforts to gain prominence. MP Shatabdi Roy and Ashish Bandopadhyay are among those aspiring to take control. However, the enduring influence of Mondal's loyal followers poses a challenge. 

Consequently, there might be increased opposition during the distribution of electoral tickets, as was already witnessed during TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee’s state-wide reconnection programme.

However, the current political climate has created a sense of mistrust even among women and Muslims – two key support bases for TMC at the panchayat level. The repercussions can be significant.

Trinamool Congress had a substantial Muslim vote bank, almost 37% of voters, in Birbhum. However, the mass killings in the Bogtui area, dissatisfaction regarding the allocation of funds, lack of development work and rampant corruption has been alienating its core constituencies. 

The BJP has had a presence in Birbhum for a considerable period of time. They were part of a grand alliance against the Left in Mayureswar  during the 1990s. In 2018, they emerged as the key opposition party. However, many of their local leaders later aligned with the TMC, which in turn raised concerns about their credibility. Leftist forces have also gained traction in certain blocks such as Nalhati, Dubrajpur, Khoyrasol, Mohammad Bazar, Labpur, and Rampurhat.

Birbhum's temperature often crosses 40° Celsius in the summer, and the political temperature in the district is also rising. The possibility of a fair and transparent electoral process in the 164 village panchayats across the district’s 19 blocks is the pressing concern on everyone's mind.

Will opposition parties put up a real challenge by capitalising on Mondal’s absence or will it be a repeat of 2008 as Mondal’s army continues to exert its influence and hold sway in the district, even during his time at Tihar?

Joydeep Sarkar is an independent senior journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering Bengal politics. 

Translated from the Bengali original by Aparna Bhattacharya.

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