Violent end to violent elections; Bengal governor says time to introspect

The TMC blamed BJP and CPM for the incident – a charge both denied.

Biswajit Das, the district president of Bangaon TMC, said, “CPM and BJP were trying to spread terror in front of the counting centre. More than four bombs exploded. They know they don’t have public support, so they do all this.”

Bangaon BJP district organisational committee general secretary Devdas Mondal retorted: “Trinamool is rioting… They dropped two bombs in succession to prevent our workers from going inside the counting centre. Certificates of winning candidates are being confiscated. There is no existence of democracy in the state.”

BJP Ranaghat MP Jagannath Sarkar meanwhile had a verbal spat with police personnel outside a counting centre at Phulia in Nadia district, following which he said he felt sick and had to be hospitalised. “I have high blood pressure. The policemen pushed me and I fell down,” he said.

Sources said Sarkar had suffered a heat stroke.

The vehicle of BJP MLA Chandana Bauri was meanwhile attacked at Saltora in Bankura district. Bauri alleged: “Miscreants belonging to the TMC vandalised our vehicles, beat up our workers.” TMC did not respond to the allegations.

The three-tier panchayat polls in Bengal have been a bloody affair, with 39 killed in incidents of violence so far. Such was the scale of violence on polling day that repolls had to be conducted in some districts because of booth capturing and ballot boxes being destroyed.

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Meanwhile, as the trends became clear and TMC pulled ahead, Governor CV Ananda Bose said “political parties should realise elections are not grounds to examine one’s physical strength”. He said Bengal had two enemies – corruption and violence.

“I congratulate all those who participated. In a democratic election, there are no winners or losers, there are only winners and winnables. Now is the time for introspection. Democratic elections are friendly contests that shouldn’t generate hatred or violence,” he said.

In the morning, Bose had reiterated that strict measures would be taken against troublemakers. He returned to Kolkata on Tuesday after a two-day visit to Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Sources said he had submitted a report on the violence that took place during the panchayat elections.

He said at Kolkata airport: “There will be a relentless fight against the growing violence in Bengal. Troublemakers will be severely punished for breaking the law.”

From the airport, he went to Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district to evaluate the counting process. “Strict action will be taken against those who sit in the political control room and incite violence by remote controlling goons on the field,” he said.