In West Bengal, 7-phase polling raises TMC hackles, enthuses BJP, Congress

At a news conference, senior party leader and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said, “We wanted single or two- phase polling in the state. We feel that a multiple-phase election helps political parties with deeper pockets, and gives them an advantage over others. When the 2021 Assembly elections were held in eight phases, it was said that this was being done due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But what is the reason for holding elections in seven phases this time? There is no valid reason from the ECI.”

The party pointed out that elections in big states like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are being held in single phase, while Karnataka and Rajasthan will have two-phase elections.

The TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray said that not taking the state government’s views into account was a disregard for the federal structure of the country. “The state government’s views were not taken into account. This is a disregard of the federal structure. We fail to understand the reasons for holding such a long election. This is quite surprising,” he said.

In 2019, the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal were held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19. The phases were increased from five in 2014, following large-scale political violence in the state. Over 580 companies of central paramilitary forces were deployed. Out of 42 seats, the TMC won 22 as against the BJP’s 18, with the Congress winning the other two seats.

In 2014, when Lok Sabha polls in the state were held over five phases, the TMC had won 34 seats, while the BJP won two. The Congress had won four seats, while the Left Front had got two.

The 2021 Assembly polls were held in eight phases, with 1,071 companies of central paramilitary force deployed across the state. The TMC registered a landslide victory, winning 213 of 294 seats, although the BJP managed to become the main Opposition party by winning 77 seats. The Left Front-Congress alliance drew a blank, while new entrant Indian Secular Front (ISF), and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (Tamang) won one seat each.

Widespread violence was reported across the state in both 2019 and 2021. In the 2018 panchayat polls, about 14 people were killed on the polling day. Similarly, in the 2022 panchayat polls, around 60 people were killed in violence during the election period.

Keeping it in mind, the ECI has this time sanctioned the deployment of 920 companies of central forces in Bengal — the highest among all states in the country — to ensure free and fair Lok Sabha polls.

According to the Opposition leaders, the history of political violence in the state is the reason why the polls are being held in multiple phases.

State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar welcomed the ECI’s decision. “A seven-phase election was held in Bengal last time too. There is no difference this time. Due to the history of political violence in Bengal, it is not possible to hold elections here in one or two phases, and without the presence of a huge number of central forces. We are happy with the decision. The ECI said it would take action against muscle power. It is an absolute necessity in Bengal to curb incidents of violence,” said Majumdar.

Senior Congress MP and state party president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the TMC wanted a single-phase election so that it could indulge in violence on a single day to reap political benefits. “The state police have a lot of responsibility to ensure free and fair polls. But we are not sure if the state police will act in this regard. The ECI will have to ensure that voters exercise their franchise peacefully. The TMC wanted single-phase polling to indulge in widespread violence on election day. But we wanted the election to be held in multiple phases, to provide maximum security to the people,” he said.

Chowdhury emphasised the importance of deploying central forces well in advance of polling dates to instil a sense of security among voters.

He cited the “success” of early deployment of central forces during the March 2023 bypolls in Sagardighi. “We have seen the good results of early deployment of central forces in Sagardighi during last year’s bypolls. That helped the voters to gain the courage to participate in polling resulting in the defeat of the TMC,” he claimed.

The CPI(M) said the ECI must ensure that people in the state can cast their votes freely. “Earlier elections have shown that the number of phases of polling or the number of central forces deployed in the state does not matter, unless proper confidence-building measures for voters are taken. CM Mamata Banerjee used to seek polling in several phases in the state when she was in the Opposition. But when in power, she prefers elections in one phase. This is a double standard,” said senior CPI(M) leader and the party’s Lok Sabha candidate from Dum Dum, Sujan Chakraborty.

– With PTI inputs