Unholy Alliance in West Bengal

The panchayat elections in West Bengal have brought to the fore some ominous events. Like the yesteryears, violence has become a part of everyday life of the people in many constituencies. Around 34% of the seats have already been won unopposed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the ruling party in the state. This does not speak well of the present state of “grass-roots democracy” in West Bengal.

A report by the Indian Express states that an unofficial alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist)— CPI(M)—is evident in pockets of Burdwan, East and West Midnapore and Nadia districts. In Nadia, the BJP and CPI(M) leaders have reportedly admitted that some of their workers are “joining hands at the grass-roots level” to counter “Trinamool’s terror.” This “unusual affinity” is clearly visible in areas like Karimpur, Tehatta, Ranaghat and Mahisbathan in the Nadia district. Election graffiti at Mollahad village in Karimpur, Nadia, indicates a common appeal for votes for a CPI(M) candidate in the gram panchayat, and two BJP candidates for the panchayat samiti and zilla parishad, respectively. The election symbols of both parties were found in the same graffiti (“In Pockets of West Bengal, Saffron and Red Quietly Share Space,” Indian Express, 9 May 2018).