Despite Opposition rumour mongering, Trinamool set to retain Tamluk seat

The ancient port city Tamralipta now known as Tamluk is likely to return Trinamool Congress candidate in 2016 Assembly election brushing aside rumours and canards spread by the Opposition.

Mamata Banerjee has replaced the sitting MLA Soumen Mahapatra and nominated Nirbed Roy from this seat. Mahapatra is contesting from Pingla in West Midnapore. Roy was an MLA from this seat between 2001-06.

The CPI(M) along with some dissident Trinamool Congress supporters began campaigning against Roy saying that he was an “outsider.” But this campaign did not last long as being an MLA for five years Roy has local contacts. Secondly, this is Roy’s in laws place. Mala, his wife, now the chairperson of Kolkata Municipal Corporation hails from this area.

Statistically speaking Roy is far ahead of his competitors. In 2011, Mahapatra as an alliance candidate defeated his Left Front rival by over 20,676 votes. Trinamool consolidated the party and in 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Trinamool candidate took a lead of more than 30,000 votes from this segment. TMC was not a partner of Congress in the election. The Congress candidate got 3,767 votes only.

Tamluk was a Congress bastion. In the Independence movement Midnapore had produced the highest number of revolutionaries. The revolutionaries were either hanged or got a life term and were sent to Cellular jail in Andaman. Sushil Dhara and Ajay Mukherjee hailed from this district. After 1980s the area became a red stronghold with the party establishing its hold over Nandigram, Haldia, Patashpur and Khejuri.

Mamata Banerjee put an end to violence in Haldia, Nandigram and took up development projects. Super specialty hospital has come up in the area. People are getting rice at Rs 2 a kilogram. Under Kanyashree and Sabuj Sathi projects women and school goers have been benefitted. They got cycles free of cost under Sabuj Sathi project. The rural people have been immensely benefitted by concrete roads. They are getting drinking water and electricity. With this backdrop the election is going to be fought in Tamluk.

Roy is not leaving any stone unturned to widen his margin. From door to door campaigns to road shows, intense campaign was carried out to rebuild mass contact. As a veteran politician he knows how an election battle is won. He is concentrating on both urban and rural voters to make them aware of the projects and the benefits they have received from them.