Campaigning in India Gets Ugly as Weeks-Long Election Heats Up
- Violence in West Bengal prompts Election Commission to act
- Insults fly freely, including praise for Gandhi’s assassin
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After weeks of heated rhetoric and insults, an outbreak of violence has marred India’s election this week as supporters of rival political parties clashed on the streets of Kolkata in the crucial state of West Bengal.
The Election Commission of India made the rare move of suspending campaigning roughly one-day early -- at 10 p.m. on May 16 -- before nine parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal vote on May 19. It was likely the first time the agency has suspended campaigning in this way, election officials told reporters on May 15, but said it may not be the last if “lawlessness and violence” happen again.