Bengal’s Violence-Marred Civic Polls: Mamata’s Costly Blunder?

• Trinamool’s bullyboys, dropped the ball in manipulating the municipal elections of Salt Lake-Rajarhat, Bally and Asansol
• State Election Commissioner Susanta Upadhyay tendered his resignation after Trinamool workers raided his office
• The distinct overdose of bullying in the poll-bound municipalities has left even the Trinamool embarrassed
• Many believe that the Trinamool, in its propensity to rig polls, is no better than the CPI(M) at its worst

Till five years ago, when CPI(M)’s electoral success in West Bengal was attributed to “scientific rigging”, few appreciated its difference from what could be unscientific rigging. The finesse of scientific rigging lay in keeping roughnecks away from the upscale areas of Kolkata and large cities; it was free-for-all in hick towns and beyond. To the opposition cry of rigging, members of the genteel society could say, “but things were absolutely fine in our area; we voted without any trouble”.

As imitators are generally prone to goof up, Trinamool Congress, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s party of bullyboys, dropped the ball in manipulating the municipal elections of Salt Lake-Rajarhat, Kolkata’s satellite town, Bally in Howrah district and the industrial town of Asansol on October 3.

Till last year, Bengal had a tough State Election Commissioner in Mira Pande who had taken the TMC government to court for interfering with her power, under Article 243K, to superintend and conduct local body elections. Mamata was obviously not amused. After Pande’s retirement, she brought in a retired state civil service officer, Susanta Ranjan Upadhyay, who apparently was a picture of pliability. On assuming office, his first statement was that he’d avoid “clash with the government”.

But the worm turned. Upadhyay was stunned by Trinamool’s show of violence. Senior leaders of the party like Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee raided his office to “warn” him against ordering a re-poll and delaying counting of votes, as he was reportedly planning. Upadhyay rushed to State Governor (former BJP leader) Kesari Nath Tripathi and tendered his resignation.

There was nobody left to take decisions in the State Election Commission. The Chief Minister was away in Bhutan, and talks of re-poll and a fresh counting day had upset the tight schedule of events. Counting of votes was earlier due on October 7 and results were to be announced on October 9, both before the all-India Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) 2015 slated for October 11, with the state’s youth participating in it in large numbers. And then would come Mahalaya, the inaugural day of the fortnight devoted to Bengal’s annual Durga carnival.

The Chief Minister took time off her splash in Thimpu – she was driven to her hotel by the Bhutan Prime Minister – as she sent back to Kolkata, from her entourage, Alapan Bandyopadhyay, a particularly waxy civil servant, to take temporary charge at the State Election Commission. It is therefore likely that the vote counting and results will come on time and Mamata will remain the star.

But the distinct overdose of bullying in the poll-bound municipalities, particularly the areas of Salt Lake where wealthy doctors and lawyers and rich Marwaris live, has left even the Trinamool embarrassed. Apparently, one of the party’s local leaders, Sujit Bose, who had his lessons in scientific rigging under late CPI(M) leader Subhas Chakraborty, sought to keep Salt Lake’s respectable blocks trouble-free. But Jyotipriya Mallick, a minister known for his coarseness, was prompt in unleashing his pack of hounds, drawn from the rustic Bhatpara to Titagarh belt.

One thing about the gangs is interesting; they could not bear the sight of television broadcasters’ OB vans and beat up TV journalists, a feature which is increasingly becoming common across the country. The rest of their show was aimed at terrorising voters – like setting on fire half a dozen bikes outside the area going to poll but close enough to intimidate voters. Besides, Mallick’s ‘boys’ moved around in big SUVs, carrying heavy bags that others might suspect contained arms.

It was enough provocation for poet Sankha Ghosh, actor Aparna Sen and some others to issue statements complaining that Trinamool, in its propensity to rig polls, is no better than the CPI(M) at its worst. Well, the celebrities are not too many in number and their anger may not have much electoral significance. But many ordinary citizens with no distinct political sympathies were disgusted by the Trinamool toughies’ terror tactics.

These days, Trinamool resorts to unnecessary terror and violence as just too many people have lately joined the party and it has a serious shortage of seasoned managers. It is quite obvious that, when the counting for the municipal elections is over, Trinamool may win most of the seats but nobody’s respect. The CPI(M) too was first damned by the intellectuals before the masses joined in. Mamata needs to instill some “science” into the head of her poll managers.

(The writer is a Kolkata-based senior journalist)