West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose pledged a determined battle against escalating violence in the state during the counting of Panchayat poll votes. He assured that strict measures would be taken against troublemakers and emphasised the commitment to making Bengal a secure place for future generations.
“There will be a relentless fight against growing violence in Bengal. Those who commit violence in the field will be made to curse the day they are born. All authorities will come down with a heavy hand on the goons and lawbreakers…”, Governor Bose said.
“…We will certainly take stern action against the control room lords those who sit in political control rooms and guide or remote control the goons on the field. It will be an all-out action. There will be certainly very stern action because this violence is affecting the future of the new generation…we will make Bengal a safer place for the new generation to live in…”, he added.
Governor Ananda Bose will visit South 24 Parganas district, including Bhangar and Canning, to evaluate the vote counting process amidst reports of electoral malfeasance, rigging, and voter intimidation, necessitating enhanced security measures.
Violence erupted during the polls in West Bengal, where the Mamata Banerjee government faced scrutiny amidst arrests related to an alleged teachers’ recruitment scam. The outcome of these polls could indicate the standing of the BJP, the main opposition party, in the state before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Due to widespread allegations of ballot box tampering and violence, re-polling was conducted after the initial polling day, which resulted in the loss of at least 19 lives.
At first, votes for the Gram Panchayats will be counted, followed by those cast for Zilla Samitis and Zilla Parishads. All the counting centres will have an adequate deployment of central forces, which will be monitored by CCTV cameras.
(With PTI inputs)
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Updated: 11 Jul 2023, 10:27 AM IST