Amid 12 deaths in panchayat polls in Bengal, the hills set an example in peaceful polling

Election at midnight in a booth in Parentar Jaldhaka of Kalimpong District Photo: Vimal Kulung

EOI, DARJEELING, JULY 8, 2023 : Even as districts in other parts of West Bengal were engulfed in violence on the day of the panchayat election on Saturday, the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong presented a contrasting picture of peaceful polling; though the turnout of voters was low. 

A total of 12 people, including eight from the ruling Trinamool Congress and one worker each from the BJP, the CPI (M), Congress and the ISF were killed since early on Saturday in different parts of West Bengal other than the hills. According to official reports, the polling percentage in the Darjeeling district at 3 pm stood at 42.61 percent while the 5 pm figures were being collated.

The elections for the gram panchayats and the panchayat samities in the hills are being held after over two decades. The last panchayat election was held in 2000. 

Throughout the day there were long queues of voters waiting to exercise their franchise. District Magistrate of Darjeeling S. Ponnambalam said voting was peaceful without any major incidents. Voters waiting in the queue would be allowed to cast their votes even after 5 pm, the closing time. 

"We will give token slips to voters standing in line who will be able to vote after the closing time. Except for instances of apprehensions of voters about slow voting process there were no major incidents," he said.

In the Darjeeling district under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration area 1576 and 428candidates are in fray for the two tier panchayat elections, respectively for the gram panchayat and the panchayat samity seats. The slow pace of voting was evident with voters who had stood in the queue since early in the morning still to cast their votes even after over two hours. On the other hand, at the end of the day several voters continued to stay in the queue even after the closing time of the vote. 

 "The election officials should have made better preparations. I have been in the queue since 9 o’ clock in the morning but have yet to cast my vote. For 1100 voters we have only one booth and what is compounding the delay is the use of ballot papers," said Narayan Brahmin, casting his vote at Chunabhatti booth number 244 in Kurseong Gayabari 2 GP. 

Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha president, Anit Thapa expressed confidence about the victory of his party candidates. "We have managed to restore the panchayatiraj after a long time. People are voting in excitement and in a democratic way. But voting is slow, probably because of confusion due to use of ballot papers," he said. 

The BGPM has taken credit for the panchayat election being held in the hills. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung cast his vote at the Patleybas booth and said his party would not be a part of the alliance of different political parties led by the BJP, anymore. 

"Our alliance is only for the panchayat election. We will not be a part of the alliance after today. I will work for Gorkhaland in my own way," he said. 

The BJP is leading a panchayat alliance comprising the GJM, Gorkha National Liberation Front, Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists, the CPI(M), Hamro Party and Gorkha Rastriya Nirman Morcha. 

BJP MLA from Darjeeling, Neeraj Zimba said voting was peaceful but rued the absence of central forces in polling booths. 

"Unlike in other districts, polling is peaceful in the hills. We had requested for deployment of the central force but did not find any in nearly 90percent of the booths," he said