Political chaos, conflict, violence around West Bengal Panchayat elections 2023

By Harasankar Adhikari
In representative democracy, an election is the most important democratic tool for the selection of representatives from the lower to upper houses. In India, an election is considered as the ‘vote festival’ because of people’s active participation, whether voters are politically aware or not about their democratic rights. It might also be an important question for all. People participate because they want to gain something as per their desires. However, in this democracy, the opposition is the vital pillar of the government because the opposition’s involvement, role, and responsibility also determine the success or failure of a government.
The filing of a nomination of candidature in the election is the first step of the electoral process. We observe in the concurrent Panchayat Election of West Bengal, 2023 that there is a political warming throughout the state in relation to the filing of nominations. Every day, political chaos, conflict, violence, injury, and murders are taking place. The political party in power is trying to oppose the filing of nominations by other parties through open violence and torture. The state Election Commission is also acting according to the will of the ruling party. Even, the said commission is deliberately and desperately ignoring the recent verdict in relation to the Panchayat Election, 2023. It is a repetition of the earlier Panchayat Election, 2018. Ms. Mamata Banerjee also criticises the verdict openly in her public address. The chief legislature of the state is ignoring the judiciary. Then what would be the action of the general mass regarding the judiciary. It is surprising to note that the ruling government has taken various development packages/incentives from the very beginning of the journey. The packages even include compensation/incentives for rape victims and the families of poisonous liquor victims. The political party in power and the Department of Information and Culture publicise that Bengal is floating with the tide of development. They are sceptical that this development is for the people, by the people, or of the people. Are these packages of development dependent on the rule of dominance?
Why is this political party afraid of voters? Does it read the voters’ psychology and their opinion, which might be against this party?
Tactically, this political party is creating an environment of political warming in which voters are afraid to think alternatively about their rights. Hooliganism during the filing of nominations is the only way to keep voters away from the booths. Another tactic is that due to this political warming, when a voter tries to reach the booth, he or she will never think of any alternative because of fear and its daring consequences.
The police administration is the silent spectator. It has worn a special lens that prevents it from seeing anything. It only takes steps against the opposition of the government because this is the absolute order of the supreme.
Global warming changes the climate globally, and we are facing its consequences every day. Will this political warming bring changes to Bengal’s societal environment, and what will be its impacts? That might be thought about again and again, and what will be the future of our democracy? People might be waiting for a new law on "rights to what they (political parties) like".

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