MASSIVE united resistance by people to TMC’s terror and intimidation ensured that the ruling party, unlike earlier elections, was not able to carry out large-scale loot of vote in the fourth phase polling in West Bengal on April 25 when more than one crore electorate exercised their franchise in 49 assembly constituencies – 33 in North 24-Paraganas district and 16 in Howrah district. This massive united resistance of people has created its own heroes/heroines and legends. Two such faces of resistance are a 43-year-old homemaker from Halisahar, Debashree Ghosh, and 22-year-old Rajib Mistry from Haroa, both in North 24-Paraganas district. Debashree defied threats from Trinamul Congress goons who did not even spare her three-and-a-half-year-old girl while attacking her family members, who are known as CPI(M) supporters, and queued up to cast her vote, holding her daughter in the crook of her arm, albeit with the help from central forces. Rajib, whose father was killed by TMC goons just four days before the polling, proudly took his father’s place as a CPI(M) polling agent at a booth in Haroa, determined not to allow any false vote. As the people’s resistance grows, the Opposition is confident of its victory. CPI(M) state secretary and leader of opposition in the outgoing assembly Surjya Kanta Mishra told a press conference after the polling that the united opposition has already won the elections and now the fight is for “crossing 200 seats mark”. The 49 seats that voted on April 25 are crucial not only for the electoral fate of Bengal because in 2011 elections TMC, then in alliance with Congress, had captured all but four seats but also because these areas have seen most oppressive Trinamool terror and attacks on the Opposition, especially the Left led by CPI(M). During the five years of TMC rule, all elections -- from panchayat to parliament -- have seen mass loot of vote. People's united will did not let this happen again this time, sending a strong message to the equally important next round of polling on April 30. The Halisahar incident reflects Trinamool’s desperation in the face of an united opposition and the people’s resistance while the Haroa case shows CPI(M) workers’ determination to carry forward the revolutionary tradition of Bengal. The 43-year-old homemaker from Halisahar said goons were sent the night before polling by Subhranshu Roy, Mukul Roy's son, who is the Trinamool candidate from Bijpur. Debashree and her family are known CPM supporters in the area. Her husband drives an ambulance with the local civic body. Debashree, who stays with her in-laws, had come to her father's house in the same town four days ago. According to her, a group of Trinamul workers barged into her father's house around 8 PM on April 24 and warned the family against stepping out to vote. After they left, Debashree called up the local CPI(M) candidate, Rabindranath Mukherjee. The CPI(M) leader informed the police, who came with a team of central forces to meet the homemaker. After the police team left, a group of 50 Trinamul activists barged into the house, some of them allegedly carrying revolvers and attacked the family members. Even the baby girl was not spared who was beaten with clubs. After the second attack, Debashree alerted CPM candidate Mukherjee again, following which a joint team of the central forces and police arrived around 11pm. The forces left after 30 minutes. In the morning, as news channels beamed reports of the assault, a central force team visited her house. Debashree got into a CRPF vehicle with her daughter in her arms and went to the booth, 10 minutes away. She broke into tears after voting: "The fact that I could cast my vote filled me with joy. I wanted to register a protest against this culture of intimidation." Hours after he had finished the last rites of his father Noor Islam Mistry, 22-year-old Rajib took his father's place at booth No. 56 in Mahishgodi High School in Haroa. "My father was murdered. It is my duty to carry forward his mission," he said. Noor, who had to flee home with his family in the face of Trinamool threats in 2011, returned home after two years. Rajib said the family had to pay Rs 1.5 lakh to local Trinamool leaders to let them stay in the village. Noor was known in the village for his organisational strength and had mobilised crowd for several CPI(M) rallies. Noor was attacked on the night of April 19. Masked men armed with hatchets attacked him and inflicted several deep cuts. He was admitted to a private health care unit in Kolkata, where he succumbed to injuries on April 21. “Our family and some others are known as CPI(M) supporters in the village. We were not allowed to vote in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and in the 2011 assembly elections," Rajib said. "My father had to pay around Rs 1.5 lakh to local Trinamool leaders as protection money. They set one condition - we should not support the CPM… Trinamool realised that since my father had become a polling agent, all CPI(M) supporters will muster the courage to vote. That's why they killed him," Rajib said. Similarly, in North Dum Dum and Barrackpore constituencies, CPI(M) candidates were attacked, and in Bally, a CPI(M) election agent, herself a former MLA, was pushed around and threatened. But people did not allow any large scale loot of vote and impressive and active presence of central forces ensured a by and large peaceful polling. A visit to five constituencies in Howrah district -- Howara-South, Shibpur, Domjur, Jagatvallabhpur and Bally – on the polling day and interactions with the common people and activists from both sides made three things very clear. First, people everywhere looked very happy that the polling was going on without any ‘jhamela’ (disturbance). Secondly in this district where the Left did not win any seat in 2011 and since then faced fierce attacks and electoral rigging by TMC, Red flags were flying firmly and everywhere, be it in Domjur where Pratima Dutta is contesting as the Left-supported "Amra Akranta', or in Shibpur where Forward Bloc candidate Jagannath Bhattacharjee is in the fray, the contest is seen as one between TMC and CPI(M). Thirdly, in this fight between democracy and TMC, non-BJP opposition is fully united on the ground.