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In Bengal’s Phase 1 record voting, PM Modi and Mamata Banerjee read contradictory messages
Bengal Phase 1 polls end with record 92.35% turnout as BJP and TMC ramp up campaign for 142 seats going to vote in Phase 2 on April 29
As polling for the first phase of the two-phased West Bengal elections concluded with a record 92.35% turnout on Thursday, the arch rivals — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) — are now gearing up for the next phase of voting for the remaining 142 seats, which will go to polls on April 29.
During their rallies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah echoed that the BJP would secure its first victory in the eastern state with an absolute majority.
Addressing the day’s first rally in Nadia district, PM Modi said, “As far as I know, the polling rate is surpassing all records. Fear (among voters) is stepping back and confidence is marching ahead. All are saying change is necessary. BJP’s victory is certain.” The PM said this at 1:40 pm when the turnout had crossed 62%.
Hours later, TMC chief and chief minister Mamata Banerjee told voters at Kolkata’s Chowringhee constituency around 5 pm that the record turnout pointed toward her party’s victory.
“Do you know why the polling is so high even after delisting so many voters during electoral roll revision? People see this as their battle to save democratic rights. If BJP wins it will order delimitation and enforce the NRC (National Register of Citizens).” “From the votes that have been polled I can say we have already won. I can read people,” she said.
The 152 seats that went to polls in phase 1 are spread across north Bengal, a BJP stronghold, and the western districts bordering Jharkhand and Odisha, where it did well in some pockets in assembly and Lok Sabha polls in recent years.
Also Read:Bengal Assembly Polls: Clashes reported from several districts in phase 1 voting
The second-phase polls for 142 seats, on the other hand, will be held in six districts, of which four, including Kolkata, did not have a BJP winner in 2021.
Modi, however, sounded confident.
“The BJP’s victory will be celebrated on May 4. Jhalmuri will be distributed among the masses,” Modi said, referring to his recent campaign at Jhargram where he stopped at a roadside shop to enjoy the popular Bengali snack, prompting CM Mamata Banerjee to call it a “drama.”
“I heard the jhalmuri gave a jolt to some people. I had the jhalmuri but TMC felt the jhal (the tangy taste). People are so angry with TMC that it won’t even open its account in some districts. I have read this in the eyes of the people. They blew the bugle against the Left’s misrule 15 years ago. Now they are blowing the conch shell to bid TMC goodbye. Enough is enough, they say wherever I go,” Modi said, hinting at anti-incumbency against the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC.
Despite some reports of clashes between BJP and TMC supporters in some pockets, the PM described the elections as peaceful.
“This is the first time Bengal is witnessing minimum violence during an election. I congratulate the Election Commission for establishing democracy and holding peaceful polls. I also congratulate government employees for their sincere work,” Modi said.
In 1977, when the Left Front came to power for the first time, overthrowing chief minister Siddhartha Shankar Ray’s Congress government, the turnout was only 56.2%. In 2011, when Mamata Banerjee’s TMC ended the Left Front’s 34-year-long regime, the turnout was a record 84.33%. In the last 2021 polls, in which TMC bagged 213 seats against the BJP’s 77, the turnout was 82.30%.
“Farmers, doctors, lawyers, teachers are all voting to get rid of this government. Even the Bengal police are not taking orders from the goondas (ruffians) and are voting to serve the people. They all want to give BJP a chance,” Modi said.
The 142 constituencies heading to polls on April 29 have a sizeable number of Muslim voters as well as people from the Dalit Matua community who came from Bangladesh as refugees.
In a bid to sway voters from the Dalit Matua community, Modi, Shah and senior BJP leaders such as Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and former Tripura CM Biplab Deb paid homage to Sri Harichand Thakur and Sri Guruchand Thakur, the founders of the Matua religion, at all rallies on Thursday.
Since many Matuas were delisted during the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, Modi assured the community that its members would be granted the citizenship promised by the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
“Not a single Matua and refugee should be scared of TMC. Nobody can touch you. Modi stands by those who came here to escape religious persecution. The CAA process will be expedited the moment BJP comes to power. You will get all documents. This is Modi’s guarantee,” the PM said.
At his second rally at remote Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district, where BJP did not win any seat in 2021, Modi reached out to women and young people.
“Young people and women have turned up in large numbers. The lotus (BJP’s election symbol) will bloom everywhere when the results are announced on May 4. I am especially telling first-time voters that this is the right time to uproot TMC. The biggest victims of the TMC’s misrule are women and young girls,” Modi said, mentioning recent cases of rape and murder in the state.
At a rally in Balagarh in Hooghly district, Amit Shah sounded a warning to TMC workers.
“If you touch a single BJP supporter on April 29 then you will land in the Bay of Bengal. Do you want to know the poll results? On May 5, Didi’s account will be closed. BJP will form government with absolute majority and Sumana Sarkar, our candidate, will be the MLA from Balagarh,” Shah said.
“We will identify and drive out every infiltrator. They are taking your jobs and ration and posing a threat to the nation’s security. Those who have already settled down will not only be removed from the voter list but driven out of this land as well,” Shah said.
Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee addressed a rally in Kolkata and led a roadshow at Bhawanipore, her constituency where she faces BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari on April 29.
At her Chowringhee rally, Banerjee targeted Modi without directly naming him.
“Why do you hit the street every election and hide inside a cave when counting takes place? Today he came to threaten the administration that works under his instructions. You are saying you are winning. People will decide that. Have you fitted something inside the EVM machines?” Banerjee said.
“I heard from the media that someone working for a commission said there would be trouble after 4 pm. Did it mean that central paramilitary forces would cast false votes? People know that this election is the only means to save their existence. They will lose everything if they don’t vote for TMC,” Banerjee said.
In Howrah district, where the BJP could not win any seat in 2021, Biswa Sarma said: “Once the BJP comes to power in Bengal we will kick out infiltrators from Bangladesh the way we are doing in Assam. If we don’t do it now they will drive us out after 20 years. This is a do-or-die election for us.”
