Political violence is once again the main story in West Bengal politics just days after the Trinamool Congress’s spirited campaign in the state helped it stop the might of the BJP and secure a historic victory. Post-poll violence across several districts has claimed at least 14 lives in two days. Political parties, including the BJP, the CPI(M) and the Congress, have alleged that their cadres were being attacked by TMC supporters. There were reports of violence from Birbhum, Howrah, Basirhat, Sonarpur and Bardhaman in south Bengal, and Dinhata and Sitalkuchi in north Bengal. According to the State BJP, the number of party supporters killed in the past two days has risen to nine.

The Centre has begun to mount pressure over the incidents with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling up Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to express concern over the law-and-order situation and the Union Home Ministry seeking a report from its state counterpart. BJP president J P Nadda also flew to Bengal on Tuesday and met families of some of the victims.

A team of the National Commission for Women headed by its chairperson Rekha Sharma, will visit West Bengal to investigate attacks on women during this post-poll violence. A statement issued by the NCW said that it was taking suo motu cognisance of such attacks after videos were shared on Twitter of women being beaten up in Nandigram. On May 3, BJP leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya and Sambit Patra shared videos of the party office in Nandigram being ransacked as well as women supporters of the party being physically assaulted.

Chief Minister-elect Mamata Banerjee held an emergency meeting on Tuesday seeking an immediate end to the violence and the TMC has claimed that their cadres too were attacked. But these incidents now form an ugly backdrop to her swearing-in for a third term as chief minister which will take place today. The narrative of the election is that the TMC ran a strong campaign focused on local issues that helped it overcome the divisive agenda that the BJP tried to foster. Violence of this kind, sadly common in Bengal, can ensure that any goodwill from that campaign effort is short lived. That marks this story out as our top pick of the day.    

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