Bengal’s Bloody Ballot: Unveiling Electoral Violence

Abstract

Electoral violence is a recurring issue in democratic processes worldwide, posing a significant challenge to the integrity and stability of elections. Primarily based on the narratives of some of the victims and witnesses of the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly Poll violence, this article seeks to explain the nature of electoral violence in the context of West Bengal, India. Drawing upon these narratives, the study aimed to identify the underlying causes and changes in the nature of electoral violence in the State. The findings shed light on the role of political parties, socio-political dynamics, and historical factors in fuelling violence during elections. The study also tried to elucidate how the nature of violence has changed over the years and how religious polarisation influences it from the primary field data and other available secondary resources.