When people in three constituencies in West Bengal step out to vote on Friday in the first phase of the Lok Sabha election, 250 companies of central forces will stand vigil.
The Election Commission of India (EC) has deployed 262 companies of forces for only three seats in north Bengal. In Cooch Behar, which has witnessed stray incidents of violence over the past few days, 112 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed. In Jalpaiguri, 75 companies have been stationed and in Alipurduar 63 companies. Another 12 companies have been kept on reserve.
The massive deployment of central forces has dominated electoral politics in the State over the past few decades. From the CPI(M)-led Left Front to the Trinamool Congress, all ruling regimes have opposed the presence of central forces in the State during elections.
Last year, there was widespread violence during the panchayat election when people voted across the State on a single day without deployment of central forces in every polling booth.
Chiranjit Karji, a 27-year-old youth from Pratham Khanda Bhagni in Cooch Behar’s Dinhata block, was killed while casting his vote on July 8. “He was so enthusiastic about elections. He used to ask everyone whether they had voted or not,” recalled his mother Dulari Karji.
For the family, the Lok Sabha election has brought back memories of the violence at the local polling booth that claimed Chiranjit’s life. “He had taken his mother to cast her vote,” said Niren Karji, Chiranjit’s father.
Ms. Karji said when violence broke out at the polling centre, Chiranjit took her to a safe place. Moments later, he was found dead. “There were no police personnel inside the polling booth. Had there been deployment of central forces, my son would have been alive today,” she said.
The Trinamool Congress government provided a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the family and a job to Ms. Karji’s elder son. “But what will I do with the money? All I want is that no mother should suffer because of violence inside a polling booth,” she said.
Gopal Barman, a local Trinamool leader from the village, said almost a year after the incident, nobody knows who attacked the booth and opened fire. “We found Chiranjit inside a room with bullet injuries,” he said. Mr. Barman said Chiranjit was not associated with any party.
Last year, at least 40 persons had died between June 9, when the notification for West Bengal’s panchayat election was released, and July 11, the day votes were counted. Cooch Behar district witnessed highest incidents of violence during the election.
This time, the central forces have been deployed in the State much before the start of the Lok Sabha election. About 177 companies were deployed by April 1. For this year, the commission has made it mandatory that the route march of central forces be uploaded on the district website and website of the Chief Electoral Officer.
In the run-up to the first phase, violence was reported at Dinhata and Sitai in Cooch Behar. Local BJP MP Nisith Pramanik, who is contesting from the seat, had approached EC seeking restrictions on the movement of North Bengal Development Minister and Trinamool leader Udayan Guha. On Thursday, the EC, acting on the petition by Mr. Pramanik, restricted the movement of Mr. Guha on polling day. Trinamool leaders have alleged that their workers have been attacked at the behest of Mr. Pramanik.
Besides Mr. Pramanik, Trinamool Congress’ Jagadish Chandra Basunia, Congress candidate Priya Roy Chowdhury and All India Forward Bloc’s Nitish Chandra Roy are fighting from the Cooch Behar seat.
Elections to the 42 seats in West Bengal will be held in seven phases.
