On a day Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose lashed out yet again at the state authorities and the state election commission for the never-ending spate of violence being reported from different pockets in the run-up to the panchayat polls, the commission, it was learnt, has told the Calcutta High Court that the situation is better compared to the previous years.

Besides some sporadic instances of political clashes getting reported from various corners of the state, the day also marked a mysterious unnatural death of a grassroots BJP leader in East Midnapore’s Sabang and TMC leader from Bhangar, Hakimul Islam seeking public apology for the unbridled violence in the region during the nomination submission phase which claimed three lives.

So far, at least 12 people belonging to both the ruling Trinamul Congress and Opposition parties have succumbed to injuries from political violence ever since the July 8 polls were declared on June 8. The figure excludes the death of Dipak Samanta, a BJP booth president in Sabang, who was found hanging in his house under mysterious circumstances on Thursday.

Speaking in Siliguri while on a tour of north Bengal, Governor Ananda Bose called himself the “ground zero Governor” for poll-related violence. “The Calcutta High Court has issued very strict instructions to the state election commissioner to implement what the court has said. As Governor, it’s my duty to see that the order of the court is implemented by all state functionaries in letter and spirit. I would like to go to the field, interact with the victims and understand for myself what is the real ground level situation. Yes, I would like to be a ground zero Governor so far as this election violence is concerned,” he said.

Making stern observations about the prevailing law and order situation, which he considered “very very disturbing”, the Governor warned: “Those who are supposed to be sentinels of democracy should not sound its death knell.”

“The politics of murder, the politics of threat has to go. It will go. We will implement the order of the Hon’ble High Court in letter and spirit which is of quintessence for the spirit of democracy enshrined in the Constitution of India. This is a challenge to the Constitution of India, a challenge to democracy, a challenge to the people of India. This cannot go on like this, it has to end,” he further said.

He also assured the people of Bengal that Raj Bhavan "will certainly see to it that the present trend is reversed and there is peace and harmony in society.”

'Withdrawals far fewer this time'

Interestingly, as a marker of an "improved" grassroots situation, the Bengal state election commission was learnt to have stated in its affidavit before the Calcutta High Court that nominations withdrawn this time were far fewer compared to the figures of the 2018 edition of rural polls in the state.

The number of valid nominations is also much higher this time, the commission informed the court.

As per the commission’s affidavit, the number of nomination withdrawals this time had been just 20,612 as against a total number of 2,28,158 valid nominations which is a mere 9.03 per cent.

In 2018, the number of nomination withdrawals was 23,619 as against a total number of 1,33,673 valid nominations, which was 17.67 per cent or nearly double this year’s figure, the commission stated.

The commission also reportedly informed the court of receiving as many as 754 complaints of irregularities during the nomination phase and that it has ordered thorough investigation in each of these cases.

Sensitive booths

The process of identification of sensitive booths in the state has begun and it has directed all district magistrates and police superintendents to expedite the process, the commission informed the court, while maintaining that experiences in the past rural body polls as well as current law and order situation on the ground would form the basis of identifying sensitive booths.

It has also stated that as per the court’s directive, CCTV footage of all the election booths will be preserved.

Restore people's faith: HC

On Wednesday, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court’s Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam advised the commission to operate in such a manner so that the faith of the general people in it is restored.

“You are constantly telling the court that you have made all the arrangements. But you are giving the details of the arrangement that you have made. Whatever you do you should ensure that the faith of the common people is restored. The commission should win the confidence of the people by ensuring free and fair polls,” Justice Sivagnanam observed during a hearing on a contempt-of-court petition filed against the commission on the deployment of central armed forces for the forthcoming panchayat elections in the state.

BJP man found dead

Meanwhile, the situation remained tense at Sabang in East Midnapore after Dipak Samanta, a BJP booth president, was found hanging in his house under mysterious circumstances on Thursday.

Both the victim’s family and the BJP alleged murder and pointed fingers at the Trinamul. Family members alleged that Samanta was receiving threats from Trinamul and a white saree, a marker for Hindu widows, was sent to his house recently. BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar warned the election commission that unless proactive steps were taken to identify the culprits, the party won’t be responsible for violent retaliations.

Denying the allegations, Trinamul Congress maintained that Samanta’s death was a fallout of an ongoing family feud.

This is the second such incident in close proximity after Nakul Haldar, a BJP booth leader was found hanging in a mango orchard close to his house in Hanskhali, Nadia on May 24, a fortnight before the polls were announced.

TMC man apologises

In an interesting turn of events in Bhangar, a violent hotspot in South 24 Parganas, TMC Zilla Parishad candidate Hakimul Islam, son of local party strongman Arabul Islam, was found offering public apologies for the rampant violence between TMC and ISF workers which rocked the area for three consecutive days in mid-June during the phase of nomination submission and in which three supporters, two of TMC and one ISF, died of bullet wounds.

“I seek your forgiveness for what happened here. It may have been the misbehaviour of some local leaders. Our leader Mamata Banerjee had no role in this. I request you to repose your faith in us and allow us to usher in development in this area. I promise you that I won’t return to you in the next elections if I fail to keep my word,” Hakimul was heard saying with folded hands in a campaign video which went viral over social media.

A TMC stunt: ISF

ISF leader Naushad Siddiqui called the move a “stunt by the TMC to misguide local voters upon realizing that the party has already lost ground underneath its feet”.

Reports of clashes however continued to pour in from different corners of the state. Repeated night-long clashes took place between TMC and disgruntled TMC supporters in the Nagharia village in English Bazar area of Malda. Several houses were reportedly ransacked and some were even set ablaze. Central forces conducted route marches in the area to bring the situation under control.

In Gitaldaha village of Cooch Behar district, a house of an Independent candidate was vandalised, allegedly by Trinamul-sheltered miscreants. The candidate was accused of firing at a local TMC leader on Wednesday.