• Prakash Pohare

The results of the assembly elections in five states—West Bengal, Assam, Keralam, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry—have been declared. The Bharatiya Janata Party secured victory in three of these states. Among them, West Bengal was considered the most significant state. Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founding President of the Jana Sangh, hailed from this very state. Consequently, it was the fervent desire of Modi, Shah, and the Sangh Parivar to see their political banner fly high here. To achieve this, setting aside all other issues concerning the nation’s populace, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister threw themselves into the election campaign with their full might. After fifteen years of sustained effort, this objective was finally realized. Although Mamata Banerjee may have lost the election, a wave of sympathy in her favour still persists today, as she faced an adversary—the BJP—that was powerful in every respect. At present, a large section of the country appears to be opposed to the BJP government. Farmers, unemployed students, women, and ordinary citizens—dissatisfaction prevails among all of them. What, then, is the secret behind the BJP’s success? When one reflects upon this, several questions arise.

The BJP did not achieve this victory easily; it required them to undertake various political experiments. First, Modi and Shah had to ‘teach’ the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, how to cast aside the law, policy, truth, and righteousness. Once the Election Commission had become entirely pro-BJP, an alleged ‘black operation’ was executed to purge 92 lakh votes from the electoral rolls in West Bengal. Furthermore—or so it is alleged—the entire judicial system was effectively ‘co-opted’ to ensure that the Supreme Court would not intervene in this entire episode. I have consistently maintained that while social media has already cast doubts upon the impartiality of India’s electronic media—dubbed the ‘Godi Media’—the judiciary, too, now appears to be transforming into a ‘living corpse’. All that remains is for its ‘dead body’ to be unveiled before the public.

The Mughals ruled India from 1526 to 1857—that is, for 331 years. The British reigned from 1757 to 1947, for approximately 200 years. Had they wished to do so, they could have converted this entire country into an Islamic or Christian nation; however, these foreign rulers did not make religion the central theme of their politics—instead, they pursued their own interests. Today, however—to the exclusion of national interest—religion has been turned into an electoral issue. Much like the rest of India, a narrative was propagated in West Bengal asserting that “religion is in danger,” and that if Mamata Banerjee were to return to power, a ‘rule by Bangladeshi Muslims’ would be established there. Special teams were constituted specifically to disseminate this kind of venom. For two months, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister sidelined all other national issues and camped out in Bengal. During this entire period, Modi did not undertake a single foreign tour.

The Election Commission allegedly removed the names of 92 lakh voters—that is, approximately 12 percent of the electorate—who were supporters of Mamata Banerjee, from the voter lists. In doing so, the Election Commission effectively became an accomplice, serving as a palanquin-bearer for the ‘Modi-Raj’ and the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ project. Subsequently, Modi declared that he would transform West Bengal into the country’s number one state. This is precisely what Modi asserts wherever he goes to campaign. He has made identical promises to Telangana, Bihar, Karnataka, Odisha, and Haryana as well. Now, West Bengal has been added to this list. However—despite holding the office of Prime Minister—no mechanism remains to ask the pertinent question: why has he failed to make the entire nation number one? Anyone who dares to pose such a question is promptly branded a “traitor”. Had the BJP won this election in a straightforward and fair manner, it would have been welcomed. However, a victory achieved by disenfranchising millions of voters is unacceptable to the nation. The eyes of the entire country were fixed on whether Mamata Banerjee—who has served as Chief Minister for three consecutive terms—would be able to retain power for a fourth time. Had she won the election by defeating a formidable rival like the BJP, she could have emerged as a leading contender for the Prime Ministership on behalf of the anti-BJP alliance. However, this did not come to pass.

In elections, a particular issue often suddenly rises to prominence. This time, the BJP prominently raised the issue of ‘Bangladeshi infiltration’. The BJP asserted that this posed a threat to national security. Furthermore, Mamata Banerjee’s government was characterized as a ‘Jungle Raj’ (lawless regime).

Against this backdrop, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists had a significant impact on the West Bengal Assembly elections. Of the 20 seats where the highest number of voters’ names were removed, the Trinamool Congress secured 13, the BJP won 6, and the Congress took 1. Conversely, among the 187 seats where the names of more than 5,000 voters were removed, the BJP either registered a victory or established a lead in 119 constituencies.

According to an analysis by a newspaper, the victory margin in 47 seats was smaller than the number of voters whose names had been removed from the electoral rolls. Of the BJP’s 119 seats, there were 28 instances where the number of removed voters exceeded the victory margin. Of these, 26 seats had been won by the Trinamool Congress in 2021. This entire matter raises doubts. The SIR survey differs from the standard revision process. Under this procedure, all voters are required to provide proof of citizenship and fill out a specific form. In West Bengal, this process proved to be highly controversial. Complaints were lodged with the Election Commission, and several petitions were also filed in the Supreme Court. Despite the fact that lakhs of cases remained pending before the 10 Appeal Tribunals appointed by the Supreme Court, the elections were not postponed. In reality, this was a mockery of democracy.

Just as Rahul Gandhi demonstrated the courage to openly challenge Modi after 2014, similarly, in recent years, Mamata Banerjee, Saayoni Ghosh, and Mahua Moitra have also raised their voices openly against the Central Government. They refused to grant Central agencies unfettered access within the state. It is precisely this stance that has continued to rankle the BJP leadership. The country’s supreme leader himself threw his weight behind a campaign to defeat Mamata Banerjee. The BJP’s politics has always been predicated on polarization. ‘Two versus the rest’—that is, Modi and Shah versus the non-BJP parties—has been their electoral formula. To secure electoral victory, a purported ‘five-pronged pattern’ was adopted:

1. Removing the names of anti-BJP voters from the electoral rolls;
2. Including external voters in the lists and transporting them by train to cast their votes;
3. Offering financial inducements;
4. Distributing large sums of money;
5. Allegedly tampering with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

This pattern originated in Maharashtra and has now surfaced in other states as well. Employing this very strategy—and for the first time deploying over 2,00,000 paramilitary personnel—the BJP secured victories in Assam and West Bengal. A change of power was orchestrated in Tamil Nadu using this same strategy.

The lion’s share of the credit for the BJP’s victory in West Bengal is being attributed to Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Throughout the election period, he appeared to function as an ally of the BJP. It would be no exaggeration to assert that the current Election Commission has effectively become a ‘Constituent Party’ of the NDA alliance. The removal of 92 lakh names out of 7 crore voters from the electoral rolls casts a serious question mark over the fairness of the democratic process. If the Opposition approaches the Supreme Court, the response it receives is: “If not this time, you can vote the next time around.” Thus, the alleged ‘pattern”’ of Modi and Shah has effectively silenced even democratic institutions.

On the other hand, life is becoming increasingly difficult for the poor and middle-class people of the country. Inflation is rising, unemployment is on the rise, and the economic recession is deepening. Despite this, the BJP garnered votes in Assam and West Bengal. According to the author, the reason for this lies in the resurgence of emotive and communal issues—encapsulated by the acronym ‘Hi-Mu-Man-Mas-Bha-Pa’—namely, ‘Hindu-Muslim’, ‘Mandir-Masjid’, and ‘Bharat-Pakistan’.

Atrocities against women are on the rise across the country. In Maharashtra, young girls are being subjected to rape and murder. Hundreds of thousands of children are going missing, and the web of drug trafficking is spreading. Yet, celebrations marking electoral victories continue unabated. This is the terrifying face of democracy today. Democracy is India’s true religion, yet it appears to be on the verge of drowning.

(The author is the editor of Marathi daily ‘Deshonnati’, Hindi daily ‘Rashtra Prakash’ and weekly ‘Krishkonnati’) The author can be contacted on 9822593921.