On Saturday, she arrived at the polling booth set up at Karnakhali Primary School to exercise her franchise for the first time in her life. “I was eligible to vote for the past 10 years, but I voted for the first time in this year’s election. We wanted the freedom to vote freely according to our choice,” said a beaming Sudeshna.
Sandeshkhali, a riverine region in the Sunderbans in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, saw massive protests in February over allegations of land grab and sexual harassment of women by now arrested TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides. Sheikh was also wanted over an attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on January 5, who had gone to raid his house in connection with the ration distribution case.
Standing beside Sudeshna, Rani Barui (32) said, “My husband was arrested for protesting against Shahjahan Sheikh. In all previous elections, we were forced to sit at home on poll days and used to later hear that our votes were cast (by someone else). Today, since early morning, central force jawans have been very active and no one was able to instigate violence, intimidate or threaten us.”
Sandeshkhali falls under the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency, which along with eight other seats went to polls during the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Saturday. Sheikh’s arrest and the deployment of over 900 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) companies and 33,000 state police personnel during the seventh phase are among the factors that motivated many voters to leave their fear behind and vote.
While there were reports of people allegedly being threatened against voting in the Bermajur area of the Sandeshkhali on Friday, there were many who chose to cast their votes.
The pain visible on her face, Gayatri Das (42) could barely stand while visiting Bermajur Natunpara School in Sandeshkhali-II block to cast her vote.She alleged that she was beaten up by a group of unidentified persons on Friday night. Helped by others, she cast her vote and left for home in a toto (e-rickshaw). “This time I could vote freely. I am in pain but I made up my mind that I will vote,” said Gayatri.
“They beat up teenagers and threatened us not to vote. They also said, if you go to vote, you will have to face the consequences. But, we had made up our minds. We will vote. In the morning, we told them that central forces are there not only in the booths but also at major crossings. So, we voted. After the 2016 (Assembly elections), I was not allowed to vote in any election,” said Kakali Das (32), who was accompanying Gayatri.
Their lack of fear finds resonance across Sandeshkhali. There is a newfound confidence among the voters of Sandeshkhali. For many women, it’s after years that they have stepped inside a polling booth. While some said that earlier they were not even allowed to visit polling booths, others claimed that even if they were allowed to vote, it would be in favour of the ruling party. With their voices muzzled for years, voters in the region are struggling to leave behind the past and vote for change.
“In every election, just a night before polling, we were told not to go out (and vote). We followed the orders. However, this time we defied them. We saw so many central force jawans and dared to come to the polling booth,” said Payal Ari (28), who had come to the booth to vote.
These women aren’t the only ones who broke away old habits and voted on Saturday. Bhakta Sardar (51), a resident of Kaccharibazar area in Bermajur, said he came back on Friday from Kolkata, where he works as a daily wage labourer to cast his vote.
“Over the past 7-8 years, we never came during the election because we knew that we wouldn’t be able to vote. This year, I heard the situation is different and that is why we came to cast our vote.”
Thirty eight years old Dipali Sardar, who lives in Patrapara area of Sandeshkhali island, said he returned from Bengaluru last year but had assumed that he wouldn’t be able to vote. “I used to work in Bengaluru and during every election we came to know our votes had been cast (without us being present). When I returned, I thought again I won’t be able to vote but today I voted without any problem,” he added.
Asim Sarada, who works in a private company in Mumbai, said, “Earlier, we used to vote for Communist Party of India (Marxist) and then we became BJP supporters. After 2011, my family and I could not vote in any elections. Today, we voted after many years,” he said.
Around noon, a TMC worker was injured after an alleged clash between the ruling party workers and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters.
The TMC worker, identified as Chanchal Khatua, sustained head injuries. Police detained five villagers after the incident. The police action sparked a women-led protest in Sandeshkhali. According to sources, while the police used force to disperse the protesters, the latter allegedly pelted stones at the police. As the situation became tense, police had to lob tear gas shells to disperse the protestors. The protesters later blocked a highway in Basanti area to demand the release of those arrested. The agitation ended and the blockade was lifted around 8.30 pm, police said.
Banirupa Sana (60), one of the protesters, said, “The polling was peaceful. We were told by the police to go home but then suddenly police picked up my son and husband. When we protested, police used force on us and pelted stones at us. We have been getting threats since last night by TMC members and now police are behaving like goons,” added Sana.
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