Bengal cooperative bank election held under cover of central forces

The Supreme Court on December 9 had ordered the deployment of central forces in the Contai Cooperative Bank elections in East Midnapore district

The central armed police forces were deployed during a cooperative bank election held in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district on Sunday following a Supreme Court order that came after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate complained that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) was attempting to rig the polls. Usually, the state police are deployed during such elections.

The polling was held peacefully and there were no reports of any untoward incidents. (Representational image)

The Supreme Court on December 9 ordered the deployment of central forces in the Contai Cooperative Bank (CCB) elections in East Midnapore district. The Contai Cooperative Bank is the largest urban cooperative bank in eastern India.

Polling was held peacefully and there were no reports of any untoward incidents. In some areas such as Ramnagar and Kheria scuffle broke out between the TMC and rival BJP outside the polling booths. Polling was held from 9 am to 3 pm. In all 430 candidates contested for 108 seats.

East Midnapore is considered to be a stronghold of the Adhikari family. Suvendu Adhikari, BJP legislator and leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly, had defeated West Bengal chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from Nandigram in East Midnapore in the 2021 assembly polls.

“This is unprecedented. For the first time in the state and probably in the country centra forces had to be deployed during a cooperative bank election. It is a shame. The Bharatiya Janata Party tried its best to stop the election,” Akhil Giri, former minister and TMC legislator from Ramnagar in East Midnapore, told media persons.

“The citizens of Contai have rejected the TMC. The scenario is the same in the entire East Midnapore district. The TMC is nervous because of the Adhikari family. Can you imagine a cooperative bank election being conducted under the cover of central forces?” said Samik Bhattacharya, BJP spokesperson and the party’s Rajya Sabha member.

Suvendu Adhikari was the chairman of the CCB till August 2021. He was later removed by the TMC government, and a probe was ordered into allegations of financial irregularities in various cooperative banks where he had held positions in the governing body.

Locals alleged that on December 8 clashes broke out between TMC and BJP workers when the election to the Tamluk Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank was being held in the district. A TMC worker Bishnupada Mondal was murdered.