Kolkata: Conducted barely a month after a resounding victory in the Lok Sabha elections, the by-elections to four assembly seats in West Bengal were marred by unrest, violence, and allegations of booth capturing against the ruling Trinamool Congress party. Opposition parties have demanded re-elections.
The voter turnout in the four assembly by-elections, Maniktala, Bagdah, Ranaghat South, and Raiganj, was significantly lower than in previous elections. The lowest turnout was recorded in Kolkata’s Maniktala constituency at just 51.39%. This was attributed to the fact that the elections were held on a working day. Raiganj had the highest turnout at 67.12%, followed by Ranaghat South at 65.37%, and Bagda at 65.15%.
Unrest deterred many voters in the four constituencies. The BJP has accused TMC of vandalising their candidate’s car, firing at workers, and patrolling booths with armed goons in a bid to scare voters away. Despite the Election Commission deploying 70 companies of central forces, the state BJP expressed dissatisfaction with their performance. BJP leader Shishir Bajoria went so far as to allege that the election was a farce.
Back and forth
Dismissing the opposition allegation, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “People have voted in a festive mood. There is internal conflict within BJP. They tried to create unrest, but TMC workers have shown restraint and did not fall for provocation.”
Just a day before the by-polls, Ghosh had accused BJP’s Maniktala nominee and All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey of offering him a bribe in exchange for helping him win the by-election. In retaliation, Choubey claimed that Ghosh had initiated the call and wanted to join the BJP.
Based on recent trends, the TMC is expected to increase its tally, despite the BJP leading in three out of the four assembly segments during the Lok Sabha polls.
In the 2021 assembly elections, the BJP won the Ranaghat Dakshin, Bagdah, and Raiganj seats. However, all three MLAs later defected to the TMC and resigned from their positions to unsuccessfully contest the Lok Sabha elections. Two of the turncoats, Krishna Kalyani and Mukut Mani Adhikari, are now contesting from Raiganj and Ranaghat South, respectively. The Maniktala assembly seat has remained vacant since 2022 following the death of its long-term MLA, Sadhan Pande. His wife, Supti Pande, is the TMC nominee this time.
“The voting was largely peaceful except a few incidents. I am confident of winning,” claimed TMC candidate from Maniktala, Supti Pande.
“In Raiganj, the Trinamool Congress has used local ruffians to intimidate voters. But if people can vote freely, the BJP will win in all seats,” said BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar.
Fear
In Ranaghat Dakshin, the CPI(M) has alleged large-scale rigging and demanded a re-election. On July 11, The Wire visited Preeti Nagar Colony in Payradanga, Ranaghat South constituency to look into opposition’s complaints of gunfire from the previous day. The area was nearly deserted, with residents unwilling to speak to reporters.
A local resident refused to step out of her house, expressing fear. “We don’t know if you’re police or TMC. Shots were fired yesterday to kill people. Men in this area have fled in fear. Police has threatened to arrest us. We won’t vote again,” she said, from inside the house.
CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Salim said that the TMC cannot afford to have fair polls.
“Despite their spectacular result in the Lok Sabha election, TMC has to resort to strong-arm tactics as they can’t afford to rely on people’s free will. The actual picture is not what was seen in the general election results!” he told The Wire.
