No let-up in Odisha poll violence
The three-tier panchayat elections in Odisha have gone past the halfway mark. Three rounds done and two more to go, violence and lawlessness have increased a lot. Attacks on government servants, police personnel and those on poll duty have escalated and the latest round on Sunday was rocked by a spate of violence and arson, something unheard of during rural polls in the past.
Even journalists have not been spared. On Sunday, videos of a TV journalist being attacked by lumpen elements in Jajpur district—a turf where the BJD holds sway—went viral, drawing strong reactions from all quarters. In Kendrapara, another stronghold of the ruling party, policemen trying to streamline the poll process were attacked as others watched. Political goons have cocked a snook at the law enforcement agency with the passage of every round of polls, which started on February 16.
The disturbing signs were palpable through the nomination process, to begin with. Stakes are high for both the BJD as well as its principal opponent, the BJP, as panchayat polls are a precursor to the all-important general elections in 2024. In the 2017 rural elections, the saffron party had surprised the regional outfit with a strong performance and is desperate to do an encore. The fight has got acrimonious, to say the least. The very fact that there has been huge dissident activity within the parties—the BJD has been particularly grappling with the problem—has only exacerbated matters. It manifested in violence spilling onto the streets in the pre-poll proceedings as an intense fight among aspirants broke out. Murder, kidnapping and bloody attacks were reported with state police watching as a mute spectator. Both the BJD and BJP have, expectedly, traded accusations.
The State Election Commission, perturbed by the violence, even held an urgent meeting with the chief secretary, home secretary and DGP after the first round of the polls but there has been no let-up in the alarming situation yet. Maintaining law and order for fair and free polls is the state government’s foremost constitutional duty. The Naveen Patnaik government must ensure the same.