CPI(M) struggles to find Jadavpur candidate

In what may be called a twist of fate, the election managers of CPI(M) have failed to get a candidate to contest from Jadavpur, once the party’s safest strike.

Jadavpur, a red bastion is now a Trinamool Congress stronghold and no party leader of CPI(M) is ready to contest from the seat. Sujan Chakraborty who had earlier contested from Jadavpur for Lok Sabha seat lost to Sugata Basu. The party had tried to field him again but following stiff resistance from the rank, the party later changed its view and decided not to field Sujan, the party’s South 24 Parganas district secretary in the seat. The party then approached Bikas Bhattacharya, former Mayor and leader of party’s legal cell for the candidacy but he also turned down the proposal fearing defeat.

Party insiders have said that Left Front will likely publish its second list on Thursday. Meanwhile, the tussle between the CPI(M) and its partners continued for the second day as the Front partners constantly refused to give more seats to Congress. They also expressed their displeasure over the publication of list by Congress and WBPCCC’s chief Adhir Chowdhury’s insistence that the party would like to field candidates in around 100 seats.

After Independence, when hundreds and thousands of people from East Pakistan came and settled in vast areas surrounding Jadavpur, Baghajatin, Ramgarh, Kusumkanan and Garia, it was CPI(M) that gave them support. CPI(M) leaders like Prasanta Sur, Sachin Sen, Haridas Malakar became leaders of the movements launched by the refugees. Slowly it became a red bastion with 100 per cent support base. During the naxalite movement many CPI(M) supporters helped the police to arrest the Naxals who had taken shelter in the area.

As the population in the area grew and contributed heavily to the growth of the party, CPI(M) leaders in Alimuddin Street thought that Jadavpur along with Behala and Garden Reach should be brought  under Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) so that if the party fails badly in 100 wards in main Kolkata, KMC will be under its control as it will bag most of the 41 seats that are situated in the added areas.

With this in mind, the leaders in Alimuddin Street allowed the builders to construct houses pulling down the buildings situated in the colony areas. The people who moved in the area are not supporters of CPI(M) and this became evident when  Trinamool Congress started gaining political strength.