Kolkata: Amidst incidents of violence at several places, even a day after the rural polls, speculation has arisen over the sudden visit of West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose to the national capital.
Questions have been raised regarding whether the Governor visited Delhi to inform the central government about the violence or if it was merely a casual visit.
It may be recalled that during the pre-poll violence, Governor Bose visited several violence-hit areas and expressed his desire to be a 'Ground Zero Governor.' He also highlighted the existence of violence in certain areas that needed to be addressed. Additionally, the Governor opened a peace room in Raj Bhavan where several calls were received from those affected by the violence.
Furthermore, the Governor criticised the State Election Commissioner ahead of the polls, accusing the SEC of failing to fulfill its duties. He also urged for an end to the "political Holi with human blood."
Despite Governor Bose's plea, West Bengal witnessed several deaths and incidents of violence even on the polling day, July 8. According to the SEC, the total poll percentage for rural polls was recorded at 80.71 percent. Some booths are likely to go for a repoll on July 10 in the presence of central forces. However, the number of booths to be repolled has not been confirmed by the SEC at the time of reporting.
Clashes over the presence of central forces have also arisen. State Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury alleged that the central forces were absent during the polls due to an understanding between the state government and the central government.
"I would request the Bengal BJP to raise their voice against their counterparts in the center. The understanding between the central government and the state government became evident as the central forces were not actively deployed. Some companies had arrived in the state while the polling was ongoing," alleged Chowdhury.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Vice President Dilip Ghosh also mentioned his failure to witness the presence of central forces during the polls.
BSF DIG SS Guleria further stated that they did not receive any list of sensitive booths despite writing to the SEC. He also noted that wherever central forces were deployed, no incidents of violence occurred, and the polling was peaceful.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Kunal Ghosh responded, saying, "It is not the TMC but the Congress that has an understanding with the BJP. Moreover, we did not receive the amount of central forces we requested. Some forces were airlifted from Leh. It appears that the central government does not have sufficient forces."
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