A hitch in Project Industrialisation

Elections in West Bengal are always politically charged affairs. But the recent elections to the Panchayati Raj, the local self-governing bodies, were even more tempestuous than usual. These polls were particularly significant because they came in the wake of a period of notable political turmoil in West Bengal. Over the past three years, the state has been rocked by violent disputes over land acquisition; a scam in the Public Distribution System, which provides foods at subsidised rates; the mishandling of the bird-flu epidemic; the mysterious suicide of a young Muslim computer worker named Rizwanur Rehman, allegedly involving top industrialists and policemen; and the furore over extending Taslima Nasreen's visa. Adding to this volatile mix has the state government's controversial policy regarding industrialisation. All in all, this is the first time in the Left Front's 31-year rule that so much dissent has been publicly articulated in its bastion of rural Bengal.

The Panchayat polls were held in three phases, on 11, 14 and 18 May. These corresponded to the three-tier Panchayat system: the Gram Panchayat, representing a cluster of villages; the Panchayat Samity, covering a block; and the apex Zilla Parishad, at the district level. The Left Front retained control of 13 of the 17 Zilla Parishads (two fewer than in 2003), winning 519 out of 748 seats or almost 70 percent. It also won 57 percent of Panchayat Samity seats and 51 percent of Gram Panchayat seats. Though this represents a majority in all three tiers, it is nowhere near the 85 percent of Panchayat Samity and 71 percent of Gram Panchayat seats that the Front won in 2003. While it would be hasty to jump to the conclusion that it is a complete electoral rejection, the results certainly indicate chinks in the Left Front's armour.