The law and order condition in West Bengal is one of the worst in the country. The situation was not very good even at the time Communist government but over the last 8 years under Mamata Banerjee, it deteriorated further. “The (poll) situation in Bengal is like Bihar’s 10 to 15 years ago. But if the people of Bihar could change that situation, I don’t see why the people of Bengal can’t,” said the special poll observer Ajay V Nayak. He was referring to the one and a half decades rule of Lalu Yadav in state of Bihar which is popularly known as ‘Jungleraj’.
So, Mamata Banerjee has turned the state in the last 8 years to a lawless land. Her policies are very similar to that of Lalu Yadav. Minority appeasement, making police subservient to party workers were taken out from the leaflet of Lalu Yadav. These policies resulted in daily riots, vandalism, murder, rape, kidnapping, rape, and human trafficking. The governance in the state is so bad that the majority of the well-educated youth and entrepreneurial talent leave the state after education. From the early 1990s to late 2000s, the EC has to deploy Central Armed Police Forces in Bihar to conduct free and fair elections and the situation is same in West Bengal now. “This is now the need in West Bengal because people have lost faith in the state police. They want central forces at all booths,” said Nayak to media.
The TMC workers issue threats, beat, murder, and rape the people who dare to speak against Mamata Banerjee and vote against her. In Islampur, CPI (M) candidate from Raiganj, Md Salim’s car was attacked recently. CPI (M) accused the TMC workers of carrying out the attack on their leader. Salim said that the police did not do anything while the goons attacked his car.
In the Chopra district of Darjeeling constituency, security personnel fired tear gases on the agitators, who blamed the state government of obstructing them from voting. The agitators blocked the national highway 31 and also hurled crude bombs on the security personnel. EVM machines were smashed by the supporters of various political parties at polling booth in Chopra.
Congress and BJP leaders have complained that the state government is not allowing peaceful elections to take place in West Bengal. BJP leader Babul Supriyo said, “TMC resorted to violence during polls at Raigunj by threatening and beating up people who went out to vote. Voters had to be escorted to the booths by the armed forces present there. Let’s put an end to #TMChhi’s atrocities and attacks against democracy by stripping them of power.” While the TMC is facing tough competition against the BJP government, BJP is determined to spread its foot in the third largest state in terms of constituencies represented in the Parliament.
In this regard and in concern of their security, electoral officers sent a request to the EC for providing central forces in all booths. The poll officials said that they feel insecure and have protested against the state police forces. They have lost all the trust in state government and their security arrangements and want central forces to be deployed.
The high security concerns have led to the recruitment of 15000 paramilitary troopers deployed in the second phase. The rise in security issue is a major problem that requires the attention of the EC.