BELEAGUERED chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee is threatening to take revenge against opposition “by every inch” after the assembly polls. This has become her “war cry” in this year’s election. While this has exposed the authoritarian character of the Mamata Banerjee’s regime, people’s mobilisation against this regime is growing every day. As CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra has said in his public rallies, “People are advancing in metres and kilometres while the chief minister is gauging inches. History has taken top gear in West Bengal.” After waves of rallies in northern and central parts of the state, huge mobilisations are taking place in southern districts where polling is due on April 25 and 30. A unique procession in southern Kolkata on April 19 has surpassed all earlier examples. Former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee hit the campaign trail, leading a huge road show in support of three CPI(M) candidates through the city's southern outskirts. Thousands of people marched from Dhakuria to Garia with red flags fluttering all over. They sang, shouted slogans parodying the Trinamool Congress and exuding confidence of the Left and democratic forces forming the next government. The rally swelled in size as Left supporters joined in large numbers on the way. As it advanced, common people joined in numbers, lined up along roadside and people peered through windows, crowded balconies of multi-storeyed apartments and other houses. The enthusiastic participation of students and youths was remarkable. The youth were clapping in rhythm and raised slogans like "Ghooshkhorder sarkar, aar nei darkar" (We don't need government of bribe takers). The road show covered a distance of about eight kilometres in about two-and-half hours. The morale of the people has heightened through resisting attempts of vote loot in earlier phases. In second and third phases, particularly in the industrial belts of Burdwan and Birbhum, people thronged polling booths despite terrorisation and intimidation. In Birbhum, all attempts were made to disturb polling process. But the people could assert themselves finally. This has intensified the ruling party’s attempt to terrorisation and rigging in next phases. Series of violent attacks started in poll-bound districts. In Haroa in North 24 Parganas, CPI(M) worker Nur Islam Mistry was brutally murdered after organising an election meeting in a village, terrorised for the last five years. It is alleged that TMC candidate has himself planned the attack. In Nadia district, TMC armed gang attacked the house of former state minister Bankim Ghosh and beat up his relatives including women. They ransacked the houses of some of Ghosh’s neighbours and assaulted them. In Santipur, armed gangs attacked the Congress candidate in the presence of police. His car was vandalised. In Chakdaha, an RSP office was ransacked. In Burdwan South assembly constituency, the chief minister held a road show on April 18. Soon after, CPI(M) candidate Ainul Haque was attacked in Burdwan town. In Kamarhati in North 24 Parganas, a public meeting by two civil society organisations, namely ‘Amra Akranto’ and ‘Chit Fund Depositors and Agents Security Mancha’, was attacked by Trinamool goons. The criminals threw chairs, bricks and thrashed participants. They also jumped onto the dais and attacked Professor Debasish Sarkar, a teacher of Kamduni School, and Pradip Mukherjee and Mousumi Kayal of the Kamduni movement among others. When the locals tried to save the participants of the meeting, they were attacked. The entire attack took place in the presence of state police. A public meeting in support of CPI(M) candidate in North Dum Dum was attacked by the TMC. The hoodlums snapped wires, began to throw bricks and disconnected microphones. They continued unabated as repeated calls to local police station went unheeded. The last three phases of polling will be a battle to defend democratic rights of the people. While it is apprehended that the desperate ruling party will try to pervert the election process as much as possible, the mood of the people is to fiercely resist the “goon-raj”.