Violent clashes erupted during local elections in West Bengal on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of at least seven people and leaving dozens injured. The state has a history of political violence during election campaigns, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been actively seeking to expand its presence in the region, which has been traditionally dominated by the Communist Party.
Voters are currently participating in municipal elections, with over 200,000 candidates vying for leadership positions across the state, which is home to a population of 104 million people. Jawed Shamim, the additional director general of West Bengal’s police force, confirmed that seven people were killed and numerous others were wounded in poll-related violence across different villages in the state.
According to an anonymous police official, five of the deceased were members of the ruling Trinamool Congress party, while the remaining two were affiliated with the BJP and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Videos aired by local broadcasters showed rival party workers armed with batons roaming the streets and incidents of ballot boxes being snatched and set on fire outside polling stations. Meanwhile, other voting booths were heavily guarded by paramilitary troops to maintain order.
The polls also witnessed the seizure of more than 200 crude bombs, commonly used in West Bengal elections to intimidate voters, which are readily available on the black market. Mamata Banerjee, the leader of the Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister of West Bengal since 2011, has accused the BJP of trying to import divisive sectarian politics into the state, which has a significant Muslim minority. In response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accused Banerjee’s administration of widespread corruption.
However, the roots of political violence in West Bengal date back several decades, with thousands of election-related murders recorded by the police since the 1960s. The state elections held in 2021 witnessed similar incidents, with activists from both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP being shot or hacked to death, and their bodies sometimes displayed as a means of intimidation.
