The Calcutta Municipal Corporation polls on Sunday witnessed no major violence but a united Opposition targeted Trinamul, police and the state poll panel alleging large-scale rigging and attacks.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, the all-India general secretary of Trinamul, accused the Opposition parties of engaging in “theatrics” after failing to win the people’s trust.

The state election commission said 63.63 per cent polling had been reported till 5pm across the 144 wards, and that voting had been peaceful barring stray incidents.

But the Opposition parties alleged mass rigging, and as many as 453 complaints had been lodged with the poll panel till 5pm, including some from the ruling party.

“What we witnessed today in the name of elections was nothing but a farce…. The city had never before seen such a rigged election,” Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, said.

“The turnout figure may say something else, but we think only 20 per cent of Calcutta’s population voted,” the BJP leader added.

State BJP leaders met governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to complain about alleged vitiation of the poll process.

Elections in Bengal, especially civic and rural polls, have a history of violence. But it was hoped that Sunday’s contest would be peaceful since both Mamata and Abhishek had issued repeated internal warnings to the party rungs saying no electoral malpractices would be tolerated.

Besides, sources in the administration had said the political establishment had given them a free hand to crack down on poll rogues even if they were from Trinamul.

“All these pre-poll directives from the Trinamul leadership to party supporters fell on deaf ears. The election was far from free and fair.... Trinamul will surely emerge winner in the polls but Abhishek has lost (morally),” political observer Biswanath Chakraborty said.

He referred to the allegations of bombings, physical attacks on Opposition candidates such as the BJP’s Meena Devi Purohit and Rajarshi Lahiri and their aides, intimidation of voters and large-scale false voting between 3pm and 5pm.

Through the day, the Opposition parties blamed the police and the state poll panel for what they described as the “murder of democracy”. All the Opposition parties have threatened protests in the coming days.

Mamata, who voted at the Mitra Institution in Bhowanipore, lauded the poll process as a “festival of democracy”.

“The people have been voting in a festive mood. This is what we desired. Elections are a popular festival of democracy, and people are participating in that festival, as everyone can see,” Mamata said.

Told about the Opposition’s allegations, she said: “No, no, you people please realise, 144 wards went to the polls. If somebody can’t contest the election and does some drama, let them do it. It is also a process of democracy. So, ignore them. It is better to ignore them.”

Asked whether she thought the police’s role was satisfactory on polling day, she said: “The police, they tried their best.”

She added: “Calcutta Police (are) the best police…. They also helped with naka checking so that outsiders cannot come. When elections in Calcutta take place, (they are) restricted to Calcutta. Only Calcutta people should come, not outsiders. I’m happy that people voted peacefully. That (is what) we wanted.”

Mamata’s public responses suggested that those vitiating the poll process were unlikely to be taken to task, although Abhishek continued to publicly reiterate even on Sunday that wrongdoers would face stern action.

Several Calcutta-based political scientists said Sunday’s incidents ran counter to Trinamul-hired poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s doctrine of a hands-off approach to elections like civic polls that are inconsequential in the larger scheme.

“Especially with the strong likelihood of Trinamul winning 120-130 of the 144 wards anyway, what need there was to try to take the tally past 140 is something for Trinamul to answer,” said Subhamoy Maitra, a professor at the Indian Statistical Institute.

“It’s a missed opportunity to gauge the actual support base before crucial elections to the Assembly or the Lok Sabha.”

At least 13 Opposition candidates claimed injury in alleged Trinamul attacks. While the CPM and the Congress have demanded re-polling in some of the wards, the BJP said the entire election process ought to be cancelled and fresh elections held in all the 144 wards.

Poll panel sources said any decision on the demands for re-polling would come after meetings with the observers.

Abhishek, in a brief interaction with journalists, reaffirmed that his party did not support violence.

“Any person, irrespective of political affiliation, who disturbs the voting process will be put behind bars. If it’s proven that any Trinamul worker is involved in violence, stern action will be taken within 24 hours,” the Diamond Harbour MP said.

Some Trinamul leaders privately blamed the trouble on the ward-level leaderships’ desire to ensure resounding victories at any cost.

“The (top) leadership had warned against all this…. What happened today was avoidable,” a source said.

“We got over 60 per cent of the votes from the CMC area (in the Assembly elections). The BJP got zero seats, and secured barely 29 per cent votes. That gap could only have widened now, irrespective of any malpractice.”