West Bengal polls are proving to be a tough balancing act for the Election Commission as it comes under constant attack from the ruling Trinamool Congress for its alleged bias and figures prominently in the campaign discourse in the electioneering, with its decisions in sharp political focus.
Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have been relentless in their attack on the poll body, accusing it of working under pressure of the BJP and being biased. The party has been especially critical of the role played by the central forces deployed in the state for the duration of the election.
The credibility of the Commission is under a severe test amidst the intense political heat in the state. The Commission has been kept busy as it meets delegations from the Trinamool and the BJP almost on a daily basis, with the two parties approaching it with petitions against each other. There has been a flurry of notices from the poll body to leaders from both the parties with regard to their statements made during the campaign.
In what was seen as an extraordinary action, the Commission on Monday imposed a ban of 24 hours on CM Banerjee from campaigning. The action was with regard to certain statements made by Banerjee, including about the central forces and her appeal to the minorities to consolidate their votes. As expected, the Trinamool hit back immediately at the EC, saying it was a black day for democracy. Trinamool leader Derek O'Brien said EC stands for Extremely Compromised. The chief minister sat on a dharna in Kolkata to protest against the EC.
On the other hand, the BJP, which has been running an extremely aggressive campaign against the Trinamool in this election, welcomed the Commission's action against Banerjee.
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As the electoral fight gets fiercer, the Commission on Wednesday acted against two senior BJP functionaries in the state. It ordered a campaign ban of 48 hours on party candidate Rahul Sinha for his statement that central forces should have killed eight persons instead of four in Shitalkuchi. It also issued a notice to state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh for his provocative statements with regard to the Shitalkuchi firing incident.
As the Commission negotiates what appears to be a touch balancing act, according to a senior EC official, it is unfair to drag the poll body into a political fight between two parties. The official said the poll body has gone strictly by the book in fulfilling its responsibility to conduct free and fair elections in West Bengal, and has heard delegations from the state whenever they have sought time.
