It was a dismal performance by saffron brigade in West Bengal. In three of the four assembly constituencies that went for the bypolls, the security deposit of the candidates has been forfeited. The security deposit of the BJP candidates in Gosaba, Khardha and Dihata have been forfeited, putting a huge question mark on the party’s performance.

As per Section 341 (a) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, it is mandatory for the general candidates to deposit a security amount of Rs 25,000 in case of Parliamentary constituency and Rs, 10,000 to fight an election in Assembly Constituency.

Candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe have to deposit only half of the amount for these two elections. If a candidate fails to get 1/6 (16.7 per cent) of the total valid votes franchised in that constituency, then the amount deposited by the candidate is seized by the Election Commission of India.

In Dinhata, TMC candidate Udayan Guha defeated BJP candidate Ashok Mondal by a margin of 1,64,089. Guha got 1,89,575 votes, while Mondal managed to get only 25,486 votes.

Even in Mondal’s own booth and the former MLA Nishit Pramanik’s booth, he failed to manage a lead. The total polled votes in this election were 2,25,286 and so mathematically Mondal failed to get even one-sixth of the votes thus foregoing his security deposit. So far Saikat Panja of TMC who won by a margin of 1.27 lakh from Manteshwar Assembly Constituency in Bankura district was the highest margin in state’s assembly polls.

Mondal, who was made a candidate after Jayanta Naskar died of Covid. While Mondal got 1,61,474 votes, Rana managed to get only 18,423 votes which is not even one sixth of the total votes polled. The security deposit of Rana was naturally forfeited. Similarly, in Khardha where BJP’s Joy Saha was fighting an unequal battle with TMC heavyweight Sovondeb Chattopadhyay lost his security deposit.

The BJP national vice president and MP Dilip Ghosh today said that TMC’s victory in four Assembly constituencies was possible because of alleged “continuous terror” TMC created to ensure people do not get to exercise their voting rights freely and fairly.

“A large number of people were not able to leave their residences to exercise their franchise. Both TMC backed goons and police jointly ensured it. TMC bike gangs were roaming the areas in all four constituencies without any resistance from the police” he said.

He also ridiculed TMC by saying that next time the party might just secure a 100 per cent vote. “If this situation lasts in Bengal then soon there will be no Opposition in Bengal politics. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee wants an Opposition free state and is desperately trying to achieve that. Democracy of Bengal has been ruined completely,” he said.

Ghosh pointed out that in Dinhata and Gosaba, “TMC hooligans attacked BJP leaders and workers during campaigns. In Gosaba, BJP workers could not reach all the islands while TMC goons drove our supporters away. No leader was allowed to stay in any hotel. No cars and microphones could be rented there for campaigning. The environment for elections in Bengal has been completely ruined and it might be impossible to hold any elections in the future.”