It’s a war in Bengal. Between Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, which has had an unbroken run of three terms or 15 years in the state, and the united might of the BJP, her Goliath-esque primary adversary, and all the Central agencies it can summon at the flick of a finger.

Even the Election Commission of India (ECI), the administrator and supposedly unquestionable arbiter of ‘free and fair’ elections in the country has outdone itself in Bengal, its exploits here going far beyond the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls that has sent citizen-voters scrambling all over the country and targeted communities fearing worse.

At the time of going to press, the first phase of polling was over in West Bengal and the second phase was due (on 29 April). Union home minister Amit Shah is camping in Kolkata, reportedly until campaigning for phase 2 comes to an end on 27 April.

Playing the role of the BJP’s key strategist and on-ground overseer, he is also waving his stick with characteristic panache. At one of the rallies before the phase 1 voting, he declared “the EC has deployed CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces). If Mamata Banerjee’s goons try to disturb the poll process, I will ensure they are hanged upside down after 4 May”.

The security bandobast is unprecedented. The CAPF deployment includes troops from the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, NSG and Assam Rifles, which has put a spring in the stride of BJP workers, and by the same token curbed the exuberance of TMC workers.

Also Read: Bengal tribunals clear just 136 — mostly poll staff — as lakhs remain off voter rolls

Even so, the TMC cadre have not quite lost their old spunk, as BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, out campaigning with personal security guards and armed paramilitary personnel in tow,........

© National Herald