WB: Faced with Violence, Left Candidates in Fight-Back Mode in Jungle Mahal

The Left Front is putting up a brave fight against the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) intimidation of its candidates in Jangalmahal ahead of the July 8 panchayat election.

Unlike in 2018, when the Left Front could not field candidates in more than 70% of the seats in Bankura and Purulia districts due to TMC attacks, it will contest more than 90% of the seats this year.

For example, in the last panchayat election, armed TMC members attacked Ajit Murmu with sharp weapons when he went to collect the nomination form in Ranibandh block, Punsa village. The following day, the houses of CPI (M) leaders and workers were vandalised in front of the police. CPI (M) leader Madhu Sudan Mahato and several workers were injured.

When Left Front candidates could not submit nomination papers at Ranibandh block office, they went to Khatra SDO office, which too was surrounded by TMC members. However, a few candidates submitted their nominations by risking their lives at night with no police security, Left activists told this writer.

The situation is different this year. Left Front candidates have faced armed TMC members without the police’s and the administration’s help while filing nominations, the activists said.

On the first day of nomination filing on June 8, Left Front candidates and workers went to Ranibandh block development office in a rally despite TMC members allegedly abusing them in police presence.

Left activists also alleged that the election was announced without proper preparation, as the officials concerned arrived late and without nomination forms and duplicate carbon receipt books. When the candidates protested, the nomination process started and continued till evening. The situation was similar in Raipur, Sarenga, Taldandra, Simlapal, and Purulia’s Borobazar and Balarampur.

Officials were absent at Ranibandh block office, in Punsa village of West Bengal’s Bankura district, on day one of nomination on June 8 till noon.

On the first day, Left candidates filed nominations for 40% of the Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samiti seats in Ranibandh block.

In 2018, the TMC did not allow Opposition candidates to file nominations in all the 56 Gram Panchayats in the six blocks of the Bishnupur subdivision: Sonamukhi, Bishnupur, Joypur, Kotulpur, Indas and Patrasayer.

"Armed TMC members had blocked all the block and subdivisional offices at that time with the police and administration as mute spectators. TMC snagged all the seats," the activists said.

This year, too, the ruling party is attempting to repeat its 2018 tactics. On June 11, alleged TMC supporters, wielding revolvers and sticks, landed at Sonamukhi block office and abused and threatened Left Front candidates and workers, some of the candidates alleged. When they complained to the police personnel, they merely took down their phone numbers and addresses. Finally, the candidates, with the help of workers, chased away TMC supporters and filed nominations. In the next three days, TMC candidates filed nominations without threatening rival candidates, said the Left sources.

A similar incident happened in Indas. After TMC supporters beat up three Left Front candidates on the first day of nominations, they resisted and filed nominations.

On June 12, candidates, proposers and CPI(M) workers, including women, from 10 Gram Panchayat areas, were not allowed to file nominations at Kotulpur block office with alleged TMC workers blocking the party office and attacking four candidates. Despite repeated party requests, the police refused to help, CPI(M) sources told thsi writer.

Then, on June 14, alleged TMC workers attacked a farm labourer leader, Touhidul Islam, and allegedly abused his mother, who was his proposer, after he collected the nomination form at the Kotulpur block office. He was assaulted in front of the Kotulpur Police Station house officer, they claimed.

Farm labourer leader Touhidul Islam, who is contesting from Kotulpur village, in West Bengal’s Bankura district, was attacked by TMC members who also abused his mother.

However, an injured Islam and his mother returned home and filed the nomination by email on Thursday.

Similarly, in Bankura, the Left Front has fielded candidates in all Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, and Zilla Parishad seats undeterred by TMC workers, whose attacks at the SDO office in 2018 are still not forgotten.

The writer covers the Jangalmahal region for ‘Ganashakti’ newspaper in West Bengal. The views are personal.