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Even if one rubbishes Opposition claims, the Marxist rule in Bengal has seen uncontested victories in panchayat polls, statistically speaking.
Whether this is due to Marxist terror or the Opposition's beleaguered presence in the districts is, however, inconsequential. The fact is that the CPI-M's grip on rural Bengal is getting stronger by the day, despite the Opposition's protests.
In the last panchayat polls, there were only 668 uncontested victories, of which 527 went to the CPI-M's credit, as it happens to be the major Left Front partner. The then newly-born Trinamul Congress, with the BJP as its ally, couldn't do much in terms of uncontested victories, bagging only seven panchayat seats.
In 1998, however, Trinamul Congress or BJP leaders didn't cry themselves hoarse over "CPI-M terror" or "murder of democracy by the CPI-M", as both parties managed to file nominations in as much as 52,000 panchayat seats. Where they couldn't, it was because of organisational weaknesses and the fact that Trinamul was still in its infancy, trying to put its house in order, following the Congress split.
Five years later, Miss Mamata Banerjee is fretting and fuming, which the Marxists believe is apparently for no reason at all.
Is it true? What is the scenario in Midnapore, Bankura, Asansol, Burdwan and Hooghly? In Midnapore West, the CPI-M has swept the polls much before the polls, notching up uncontested victories in as much as 421 gram panchayat seats in the Kespur, Garbeta and Chandrakona blocks. In these areas, the Marxists have now 74 panchayat samiti seats in their kitty, thanks to the Opposition's 'failure' to file nominations.
As for the North 24-Parganas, of the 3,200 seats, the Opposition could file for 2,800 seats, meaning uncontested victories of the ruling party in 400 seats.
Add the three figures, and it works out to uncontested victories for the ruling party in 895 seats in one district (of the 18 in the state) and three blocks of Midnapore - 227 more than the total number of uncontested victories in the state in the last panchayat polls!
In Bankura, Trinamul leaders said, their party candidates couldn't file nominations in about 600 seats, the worst-affected area being Kotalpur, where the Left Front has got 171 seats, all uncontested.
As for the Asansol sub-division, the CPI-M has won 108 seats uncontested. Trinamul leaders said, in rural Burdwan, the party couldn't file nominations in 800 seats, leading to uncontested wins for the LF. Hooghly, particularly its Arambag sub-division, has witnessed the farce much more than other areas of the state, many in the political circle believe. The entire Opposition has allowed, or been forced to allow uncontested wins in as much as 1,200 seats, sources said.
If the alleged CPI-M terror continues till the date for the withdrawal of nominations, one may witness a spate of withdrawals by Opposition candidates.
With the Left Front winning thousands of seats much before the actual poll, one needs to take a look at the number of uncontested victories in the 1993 panchayat polls - a mere 1,850.
Ten years of 'democratic' Left rule
has seen this figure shooting up by the thousands.
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