AYODHYA — Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad on Tuesday claimed that the outcome of the West Bengal elections indicates that the country is “moving towards a dictatorship”, as he raised concerns over the state of democratic institutions.
Talking to IANS, Awadhesh Prasad said: “Looking at the results of the Bengal elections, it seems that the country is moving towards dictatorship. It appears that democracy and the Constitution are in danger.”
He further questioned the functioning of the Election Commission, stating that the strength of any democracy depends on the impartiality and independence of its electoral body.
“The success of democracy in any country can be judged by how impartial and independent the Election Commission is. However, it is unfortunate that developments over the past year suggest that the Commission is no longer impartial or independent,” he said.
Prasad also raised concerns over the conduct of polling, alleging irregularities. He claimed that a large number of state police personnel were sidelined, while polling was conducted under central forces. He further alleged large-scale vote rigging and deletion of voters’ names.
Referring to protests by outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he said that concerns over voter list revisions had already been highlighted earlier. Drawing a comparison, Prasad alleged that such practices began during the Ayodhya by-election and were later replicated in West Bengal.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s strong performance in West Bengal marks a significant political shift in the state, which had long been considered an Opposition stronghold. This is being seen as a major milestone for the party in eastern India.
For over 15 years, West Bengal was governed by the Trinamool Congress under the leadership of Chief Minister Banerjee, who has been one of the most vocal critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In the 294-member Assembly, the majority mark stands at 196. Results were declared for 293 constituencies on Monday, with repolling scheduled in the Falta seat of South 24 Parganas district on May 21, as announced by the Election Commission, with counting for that seat due on May 24.
Of the declared results, the BJP secured 206 seats, comfortably ahead of the Trinamool, which managed just 81. The Congress won two seats, the CPI-M one, while the AISF and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party secured one and two seats respectively.
In terms of vote share, the BJP polled 46 per cent, followed by the Trinamool at 41 per cent. The Left Front secured 4 per cent, the Congress 3 per cent, and others, including AISF and AJUP, accounted for 6 per cent. – IANS
