Several communally sensitive and politically significant constituencies go to polls in West Bengal on Sunday during the seventh phase of the Indian general elections. These include Bashirhat, Barasat, Jadav, as well as Kolkata (North and South). This is also the last chance for the BJP to make its mark in a state where the stakes are perhaps the highest and where it has blown the bugle so openly against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Bashirhat:
This constituency covers 7 assembly segments all located in the North 24 Parganas district, namely, Baduria, Haroa, Minakhan, Sandeshkhali, Hingalganj as well as Bashirhat (North and South). This is not only the most populated district in West Bengal, but also in all of India with over 10 million people! This region also has a significant population of people who identify as Muslim.
Bashirhat is where communal clashes broke out in wake of an allegedly objectionable Facebook post about Prophet Mohammed in July 2017. The violence spread from Baduria to Keosha Markt, Banshtala, Ramchandrapur and Tentulia. Train service to Barast were also affected. This was unheard of in a region that prides itself on communal harmony. Right wing supremacist groups have alleged that ‘infiltrators’ and ‘illegal immigrants’ often cross the extremely porous international border with Bangladesh and enter India from this area.
Though a traditional communist bastion, Bashirhat has elected TMC candidates in the last two parliamentary elections. The TMC has replaced incumbent Idris Ali with actor Nusrat Jahan who is seen as a reconciliation candidate idolised equally by people from different communities. While the CPI has fielded Pallab Sengupta. The BJP candidate is the party’s state general secretary Sayantan Basu who was in the news recently was advocating gunning down of booth capturers.
Barasat:
Located in the North 24 Parganas district Barasat parliamentary constituency covers the assembly segments of Habra, Ashoknagar, Rajarhat New Town, Bidhannagar, Madhyamgram, Deganga and Barasat.
This is a communally sensitive region and was also affected when clashes broke out in neighbouring Bashirhat in 2017. In fact internet services had to be suspended in some parts of Barasat such a Deganga in order to prevent rumours from spreading at the time. BSF personnel were also deployed here. In fact, opposition leaders like Roopa Ganguly and Locket Chatterjee of the BJP were stopped here in July 2017 and prevented from entering riot hit villages, purportedly to prevent them from riling mobs. Though the leaders claimed they came with a message of peace. However, as a testament to its commitment to secularism, Barasat is also home to the first Mosque run by a Hindu family!
Once a bastion of the Forward Block, the last two elections have been won by TMC’s Dr Kakali Ghosh Dastidar who is hoping for a third term. Forward block has fielded Haripad Biswas and while the BJP candidate is Dr. Mrinal Kanti Debnath.
Jadavpur:
This constituency that is home to thousands of refugees who crossed over to India from erstwhile East Bengal in 1947. After delimitation in 2009, Jadavpur parliamentary constituency covers the assembly segments of Baruipur (East and West), Sonarpur (North and South), Bhangar, Tollyganj and Jadavpur.
All of these are located in the South 24 Parganas district, where according to census data 35.57 per cent of the population identifies as Muslim. Also, 30.2 per cent of the population belongs to Scheduled Castes, while 1.2 per cent belong to Scheduled Tribes.
Politically the constituency keeps switching between the CPI (M) and the TMC that won the last two elections in 2009 and 2014. However, instead of fielding Sugata Bose, Mamata Banerjee surprised everyone by fielding Bengali movie star Mimi Chakrabarty, a political novice! But then in 1984, this was the constituency from where Mamata Banerjee had made her own debut and defeated Somnath Chatterjee. The CPI (M), meanwhile has fielded Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya and the BJP candidate is Anupam Hazra who was previously with the TMC and who ruffled feathers when he went to meet TMC leader Anubrata Mondal on April 29 when his constituency Birbhum was polling.
Kolkata (North and South):
The state capital has become its most hotly contested battle ground in wake of violent clashes between TMC and BJP student wing members at Amit Shah’s roadshow on College Street. Even as both parties trade charges on who actually desecrated the statue of social reformer Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, it is clear that the BJP is very keen to make its mark in Bengal and Kolkata is the cherry on the cake! Interestingly, Kolkata is a diverse district where according to census data 20.06 per cent of the population identifies as Muslim.
Kolkata Uttar parliamentary constituency covers the assembly segments of Chowranghee, Entally, Beleghata, Jorasanko, Shyampukur, Maniktala and Kashipur Belgachhia. Created after delimitation in 2009, the constituency has been won by TMC’s Sudip Bandopadhyay in 2009 and 2014. This time he is up against BJP’s Rahul Sinha, CPI (M)’s Kaninika Bose Ghosh and INC’s Syed Shahid Imam. Interestingly, the Shiv Sena has fielded a candidate Srabanti Das from this constituency.
Created after delimitation in 2002, Kolkata Dakshin covers the assembly segments of Kasba, Behala (East and West), Kolkata Port, Bhabanipur, Rashbehari and Ballygunj. Mamata Banerjee has been winning here six times since 1991 and when she went on to become chief minister in 2011, Subrata Bakshi took over from her as the MP. This time, as a part of their agenda to improve gender representation in the party, the TMC has fielded Mala Roy, the party’s first woman to become Kolkata Municipal Corporation chairperson. The BJP has fielded a legacy candidate in Chandra Kumar Bose, grandnephew of Subhash Chandra Bose. The Congress candidate is Mita Chakraborty, which the CPI (M) has fielded Nandini Mukherjee. An enthusiastic Shiv Sena has also fielded Pradip Kumar Mandal.