13, 14, 13: deaths in last 3 Bengal rural polls show violence culture entrenched

“According to unofficial statistics, approximately 80 people died in the 2003 panchayat elections, 45 in 2008, and in 2013, the toll was 31. The toll increased to 75 in 2018,” said Biswanath Chakraborty, political analyst and professor of Political Science at Rabindra Bharati University.

He said the 2019 Lok Sabha polls saw nine deaths, and 16 deaths were reported in the Assembly polls two years later, although the violence afterwards was worse in 2021, with 54 people reportedly killed in post-poll violence.

“Poll-related violence and deaths are difficult to control given the need to hold on to power by any means,” he said.

According to experts, deployment and proper management of Central forces and holding elections in phases are key reasons for the count to be low.

The difference this time could be the number of workers from the ruling party who were killed — seven of 13 dead on Saturday were TMC workers.

Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “Each death is extremely painful. Trinamool Congress regrets every single death. In the run-up to panchayat elections, a script was prepared to show Bengal in a negative light. This was the plan of the opposition parties, which Trinamool had condemned even before the poll process began.”

While Ghosh alleged that opposition parties are “marketing violence”, leaders from these parties blamed TMC and the State Election Commission (SEC) for the deaths and violence.

CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said, “The idea that elections mean bloodshed has to change. But neither the state government nor the SEC wanted this to change…. The violence could have been minimised had the Union government sent Central forces on time following the court’s order.”

Former state BJP chief Rahul Sinha said there is no respite from this situation as long as “this murderous government is in place”.