Congress likely to pit Deepa Dasmunshi against Mamata in Bhowanipore

Deepa Dasmunshi, wife of ailing Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi is likely to contest from Bhowanipore Assembly seat against Mamata Banerjee.

Earlier, the party had proposed to field Om Prakash Misra from this seat but later changed its decision. Dasmunshi lost to Mohammad Selim by a narrow margin in 2004 Lok Sabha polls from Raiganj after Trinamool Congress fielded Sudhir Ranjan Das Munsh, Priya Ranjan’s younger brother from the seat. Deepa was an MLA from Goalpokhar.

Bhowanipore which was a part of Chowringhee Assembly constituency was a Congress stronghold. Over the years the Congress voters have shifted their allegiance and the party does not have any organisation. BJP has fielded Chandra Bose as its candidate and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will come to canvas for him.

There was demonstration by party workers at Bidhan Bhavan where Youth Congress workers threatened to go for hunger strike demanding fielding of party’s president from Jagaddal seat.

Meanwhile, the Left Front chairman Biman Bose had to face a volley of questions from Front partners who questioned the closeness of Suryakanta Misra and Congress leaders. 

They categorically said that Left Front candidates would not share dais with the Congress ones. What scares the Front partners is the fact that if the alliance is voted out badly then those who had opposed the alliance will put up so much pressure on the Front that it will be difficult to keep it intact. 

It may be recalled that the Central Committee of the CPI(M) also did not support the alliance initially but later succumbed to the pressure and Sitaram Yehchuri, party’s general secretary came up with a workable solution. The Central Committee leaders opposing the alliance will not spare the advocates of the tie up in Bengal. The tie up which is yet to take up a concrete shape received a jerk when Biman Bose alleged Adhir Chowdhury of making some comments that had hurt the sentiment of some leaders of Front partners. Such comment is uncalled for, Bose remarked. Forward Block will field its candidates in Shyampukur.

Though the first day of the first phase of poll just 18 days away, both the Left Front and Congress are yet to bring out their election manifestoes. 

The CPI(M) is still very weak in Jangalmahal and this became evident when the party decided to back several Independent candidates in the first phase of poll. CPI(M) leaders apprehend that a section of Congress voters would vote for Trinamool while their voters would vote for the Congress candidate.