Sun Dec 15 18:32:00 UTC 2024: ## Central Forces Deployed for West Bengal Bank Elections Amidst Violence
**Kolkata, December 16, 2024** – The Contai Cooperative Bank elections in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district, held Sunday under heavy Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) deployment, saw the ruling party secure a landslide victory. The unprecedented deployment, ordered by the Supreme Court following a petition, aimed to quell anticipated violence in an area considered a stronghold of the Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari.
Despite the presence of central forces and state police in five locations, sporadic violence was reported. The ruling party won 101 of the 108 seats, with the BJP securing six and an independent candidate winning one.
The election’s significance stems from its location in Contai, where Adhikari defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly elections. The BJP also holds both Kanthi and Tamluk Lok Sabha seats in the region.
Ramnagar Trinamool Congress MLA Ramnagar Giri attributed the deployment of central forces to a BJP tactic, claiming they anticipated defeat. While violence during West Bengal elections is not uncommon, this marks the first time central forces have been deployed for a cooperative bank election.
The Contai Cooperative Bank, the largest urban cooperative bank in eastern India, operates sixteen branches across Purba and Paschim Medinipur districts.
First Piper 