Kolkata: With West Bengal going to the first phase of the Assembly Election today, there have been reports of violence and clashes in some parts of the state. While in Murshidabad, there have been reports of clashes between supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), the party owned by Humayun Kabir. Apart from this, a BJP candidate from Dakshin Dinajpur, Suvendu Sarkar, was also reportedly manhandled. Sarkar alleged that he was beaten up in the presence of the police.
Unfortunately, there had been reports of violence during various polls in the state, which earned nationwide attention. There were reports of various deaths and injuries in various elections in the past, too, whether they are Lok Sabha, Assembly, or even Panchayat elections.
Below are some of the violent incidents in the state that took place during the polls:
2006 Assembly Elections: The Assembly Election this year saw the return of the Left Front Government in the state, winning 235 of 292 seats. While some stray incidents were reported, the election was largely peaceful. There were clashes between Left Front and TMC supporters. Around 5 to 6 people reportedly lost their lives.
2008 Panchayat Polls: This was the time when TMC was becoming a force to be reckoned with. There were reports of clashes in Singhur and Nandigram. At least 14 people lost their lives in the 2007 land acquisition protests. As per reports, unconfirmed death tolls suggested that around 45 people had lost their lives
2009 Lok Sabha polls: The year saw a three-sided clash between CPI(M), TMC-Congress workers, and Maoists in the Junglemahal area of the state. At least 15 people lost their lives between March and May during the campaign, but the post-poll violence escalated to dangerous levels.
2011 Assembly polls: The year saw the end of the Left Front Government in the state and the emergence of Mamata Banerjee-led TMC as the ruling party in the state, which has been in power to date. As per reports, around 17 to 25 people lost their lives in these polls
2014 Lok Sabha polls: West Bengal recorded the highest count of violence. According to the Election Commission, all 1,354 civilians injured during polls were from the state.
2016 Assembly polls: The Centre deployed a massive central force across the state during polling. At least 8 to 12 people were reportedly killed, there were also reports of large-scale arson and displacement.
2019 Lok Sabha Polls: This year, the BJP emerged as a major challenge to the TMC in the state. Clashes were reported in Barrackpore near Kolkata and North Bengal. The year saw seven phases of polls in the state. At least 12 to 15 deaths were reported.
2021 Assembly Polls: The year saw the BJP emerging as the principal opposition party in West Bengal with TMC again emerging as the ruling party. The elections were held in eight phases. This year, around 24 people reportedly lost their lives during poll-related incidents.
2024 Lok Sabha Polls: This year, at least three people lost their lives, and 761 were injured, as per reports.