Save Democracy in West Bengal

Save Democracy Campaign

The Polit Bureau in its meeting held on July 20, 2013 has called for a countrywide campaign to “Save Democracy and to Defeat the Violence and Terror in West Bengal”, on August 7.

The panchayat election campaign and the polling have been marked by large-scale booth capturing, false voting, blockade of villages and violent attacks on the Left Front and opposition candidates and their polling agents.

Even before the polling, around 6000 Left Front candidates were prevented from filing nominations. After that, in many places, CPI(M) and Left Front candidates and supporters were stopped and attacked while campaigning. Till July 20, 19 CPI(M) and Left Front members and supporters have been killed.

More than 2500 booths were fully or partially captured and the polling rigged in the nine districts where poling has taken place in the first three phases.

This attack and rigging of elections is reminiscent of the 1972 rigged assembly elections. What is being witnessed in West Bengal is a brazen and outright attack on democracy and democratic rights.

The Polit Bureau has decided that all state units of the Party should observe August 7 by taking this issue to the people through holding of protest dharnas, meetings and processions.

On August 7 protest day and subsequently, meetings will be organised in the state capitals/major centres during the rest of the month of August.

Jul. 20, 2013

Bengal Panchayat Elections Rigged

Friday, July 26, 2013

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement: 

Rigged Panchayat Elections in West Bengal

The three-tier panchayat elections in West Bengal which have just concluded, has led to an unprecedented situation. The entire election has been marred by widespread attacks, intimidation and rigging. Thousands of candidates were prevented from filing nominations. In many places opposition candidates were prevented from conducting their election campaign among the people; the polling process was vitiated by widespread rigging, prevention of people casting their votes and violence against opposition candidates, their polling agents and supporters.

The run-up to the panchayat election saw determined efforts by the Trinamool Congress government to subvert the polling process itself. It required the State Election Commission going to the High Court and eventually the Supreme Court to get a decision to have a five-phase polling (against the wishes of the state government) and the direction to deploy central police forces along with the state police.

Despite these verdicts, the TMC government did everything to undermine these decisions. The Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself declared that central police forces need not be deployed. Shockingly, ministers in the government publicly threatened the State Election Commissioner and warned her of dire consequences. Defying the court order, the central police forces were not deployed at the polling stations with a few exceptions.

In the run-up to the elections, there were widespread attacks on the Left Front and the opposition. Around six thousand CPI(M) and Left Front candidates were physically prevented from filing their nominations. This led to a situation wherein for the Zilla Parishads in Hooghly, out of the total of 50 seats, the Left Front could not file candidates in 10 seats. In 6191 seats in the three-tier panchayats, TMC candidates were declared elected unopposed.

During the campaign, TMC ministers and leaders made the most provocative speeches inciting violence against all opponents. No action was taken against them. All through the campaign Left Front and Congress candidates were attacked, their campaigners including women beaten up and injured.

During the polling which began on July 11 and concluded on July 25 what was witnessed was a state-sponsored rigging of the elections by the TMC. In all the districts put together, a total of 4470 booths were completely or partially captured. For instance, in Burdwan district 909 booths, 750 in West Midnapur, 429 in South 24 Parganas and 400 booths in Coochbehar were captured. (See Annexure I).

In many booths, polling agents of the CPI(M) and the Left Front were driven out after which stamping of ballot papers took place. In fact all opponents of the ruling party faced a similar situation in many areas. In many areas from the morning itself people were not allowed to leave their homes in the villages to go to the polling booths to vote. Hundreds of Left Front supporters and workers of other opposition parties were injured in attacks when they attempted to go for polling. Many of them have suffered serious injuries and have been hospitalized. Even some candidates to the three tier Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat were not allowed to vote in many places. Even two Members of Parliament, Mahendra Roy in Jalpaiguri district and Nripen Roy in Coochbehar district were prevented from voting.

The state police which was stationed at the polling booths refused to intervene when attacks took place of workers and voters of the Left Front. In many instances, the police lathicharged or arrested those who were resisting the attacks or asserted their right to vote. In a planned manner, the central police forces were not deployed in many of the hypersensitive and sensitive booths.

Despite the orders of the State Election Commission and the High Court directive motorcycle gangs were not stopped and were allowed to move freely to terrorise the opposition and the voters. Even on the day of polling these gangs threatened people from going to polling booths.

The violence during the election campaign and during the polling has led to the deaths of 24 CPI(M) workers and supporters. (See Annexure II).

At no time has such a brazen attack and perversion of the democratic process of elections taken place in West Bengal or in the entire country.

The results of such a rigged election can only be a distorted one.

Annexure – I 

Booths Captured
Phase	District	No. of Booths
I	Paschim Medinipur	750
	Purulia	0
	Bankura	34
II	Hooghly	731
	Purba Medinipur	241
	Bardhaman	909
III	North 24 Parganas	311
	South 24 Parganas	429
	Howrah	291
IV	Malda	99
	Murshidabad	19
	Nadia	97
	Birbhum	140
V	Coochbehar	400
	Jalpaiguri	0
	Uttar Dinajpur	0
	Dakshin Dinajpur	19
	Total	4470

N.B.: Over and above the figure of captured booths mentioned in the list, a good number of booths were partially captured. 

In some cases, voters were not allowed to enter the booth or after two/three hours of polling the Left parties’ polling agents were driven out from the polling station and TMC people stamped on the ballot paper indiscriminately. 

In certain centres, after complaints were lodged with the State Election Commission or District Panchayat Election Officer, police intervention took place and polling resumed at the polling Centre.

Annexure – II

List of Left Front Workers Killed Between June 3 and July 25, 2013

Sl. No	Date	Name	District	Party
	3-Jun-13	Golam Mostafa	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	7-Jun-13	Subhas Mondal (55)	Dakshin 24 Pargana	CPI(M)
	9-Jun-13	Dilip Sarkar	Bardhaman	CPI(M)
	9-Jun-13	Madan Saren (48)	Bardhaman	CPI(M)
	13-Jun-13	Kalimuddin Sarkar	Maldaha	CPI(M)
	14-Jun-13	Bhaskar Majumder (53)	Birbhum	CPI(M)
	21-Jun-13	Debsaran Ghosh (44)	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	21-Jun-13	Amar Ghosh  (44)	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	25-Jun-13	Ramjiban Khamri (65)	Paschim Medinipur	CPI(M)
	28-Jun-13	Akbar Ali (23)	Maldaha	CPI(M)
	1-Jul-13	Ankhiranjan Mondal	Uttar 24 Pgs.	CPI(M)
	3-Jul-13	Siatul Sardar (37)	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	4-Jul-13	Md Eklakh	Hooghly	CPI(M)
	13-Jul-13	Naosad Sekh (33)	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	15-Jul-13	Sk. Hasmat (40)	Bardhaman	CPI(M)
	19-Jul-13	Motherbox Malllick	Uttar 24 Pgs.	CPI(M)
	22-Jul-13	Khabiruddin Sekh	Nadia	CPI(M)
	22-Jul-13	Ashim Bagdi (25)	Birbhum	CPI(M)
	22-Jul-13	Jamir Sekh (40)	Birbhum	CPI(M)
	22-Jul-13	Kafiulla Sekh (45)	Birbhum	CPI(M)
	23-Jul-13	Billal Mondal (35)	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	23-Jul-13	Fatik Sekh  (36)	Murshidabad	CPI(M)
	24-Jul-13	Humaun Mir (32)	Birbhum	CPI(M)
	25-Jul-13	Ajiz Ahmed (60)	Uttar Dinajpur	CPI(M)