Impose President’s rule for free and fair elections in West Bengal

In what could be one of the rarest of rare incidents, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to keep 500 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) deployed in West Bengal even after the election results are declared. The rationale cited is to prevent a repeat of post-poll violence that has marked many a time Mamata Banerjee’s prolonged rule of the state.

For instance, following the 2024 general elections, widespread violence was reported in districts such as Cooch Behar, North and South 24 Parganas, and Jhargram. Victims included workers from both the BJP and CPIM, who were allegedly targeted by the ruling party, the Trinomial Congress.

It may also be noted that soon after the results were declared in the last Assembly elections in 2021, the ruling party’s goons had literally burnt and killed people whom they had suspected of having voted for the opposition parties. The state Police was said to have actively encouraged such violence by the TMC workers.

So much so that in July 2025, a special CBI court sentenced three police officers to jail for the murder of BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar. Additionally, the first conviction in a 2021 post-poll case occurred in July 2025, when a retired teacher was sentenced for a rape committed during the violence.

A National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) inquiry characterized the violence as "organised" and "retributive" against opposition supporters, reporting thousands of complaints, including murder, arson, and intimidation.

But such is the arrogance and blatant disregard of the history and norms that, under Mamata’s rule, last fortnight, seven judicial officers were trapped and attacked by a mob in Malda during a voter roll revision drive. The Supreme Court slammed the state administration for this "complete failure," leading the ECI to hand the probe over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Last fortnight, violence also erupted outside the Chief Electoral Officer's office in Kolkata due to clashes between TMC and BJP workers over allegations of fraudulent voter registration. 

The West Bengal Chief Minister says that recent violence is a reflection of the incompetence of the Election Commission, as it has changed the senior officials, and the newly appointed ones do not report to her. She also points out that there is a conspiracy by the Election Commission and the BJP to curtail all her power towards smooth and fair polls in the state.

Is she right? Not at all. Even after the Election Commission of India transfers key officials to ensure neutrality, a Chief Minister like Banerjee still can exert influence or misuse power through various indirect administrative and political channels. The ECI’s control is largely temporary and focused on personnel directly involved in election duties, leaving other state structures under the CM's influence.

While top officials like the Chief Secretary or Director General of Police (DGP) may be transferred, the vast majority of the state's middle and lower-level bureaucracy remains the same. These officials may have long-standing ties to the ruling party and continue to function as “cadres" of the government rather than independent agents.

Besides, the fear of transfers or career setbacks after the Chief Minister gets re-elected ( which the TMC has made everyone believe in West Bengal) and resumes full power can lead officials to remain subtly biased toward the ruling party.

Secondly, the Chief Minister continues to lead the state cabinet and oversees departments not directly under ECI supervision. She can use these departments to fast-track or highlight government schemes and welfare benefits just before or even during the campaign (within MCC limits) to influence voters.

Thirdly, Mamata Banerjee is really vitiating the poll atmosphere through her continuous malicious propaganda against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. And all this despite the Supreme Court monitoring the SIR-process, a process, which has been undergoing in other states of the country without any problem. She is, in fact, worried that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, her sure voters, will not be able to play a big role in ensuring her victory.

Fourthly, a chief minister like her can always continue to use the government infrastructure to gather information from various ministries to prepare election speeches, thereby gaining an unfair research advantage over opponents.

Considering all this, one may wonder whether free and fair polls are possible in West Bengal under Mamata Banerjee at all. A proven political player of the country in resorting to “offence as best defence” strategy, she is alleging that the BJP government led by Narendra Modi is planning to impose President’s rule in the state and thus stall the elections, as it knows that she cannot be electorally defeated.

In my considered view, the Modi government should fulfill Madam Mamata’s wish by imposing President’s rule.

Dispassionately seen, free and fair polls are impossible in West Bengal as long as she occupies the Chief Minister’s chair. We have cited the reasons for that above. She is virtually challenging the Indian constitution, day in and day out, by emitting venom against the Election Commission, the Prime Minister and even the judiciary. She is making us feel as if West Bengal is not a part of India and she is the empress of a foreign land.

The Modi government should impose President’s rule as fast as possible, as the constitutional machineries have failed badly in West Bengal, whose Chief Minister considers non-Bengalis from other states as “infiltrators” and Bengali-infiltrators from Bangladesh as citizens of the country to vote for her.

Mamata Banerjee is terribly wrong that if President’s rule in imposed, then elections to the state Assembly will be stalled. No Madam. Elections can very much be held as scheduled.

 There have been umpteen cases when elections were held in many states under President’s rule. It has happened in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu quite a number of times, if my memory serves me right.

While President's rule (Article 356) suspends or dissolves the state government, the Election Commission of India can conduct elections to form a new government, as the ultimate goal of the rule is to restore democratic governance, not replace it permanently.

Take the case of West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee should be reminded of the fact that West Bengal was brought under President's Rule for 51 days before elections took place in 1977 that led to the formation of the CPM government led by late Jyoti Basu.

It is time indeed to proclaim the President’s rule in West Bengal without disturbing the existing election- schedule of for free and fair elections in the state.