Past misdeeds return to haunt CPI(M) in Tollygunge as TMC makes inroads

In Tollygunge, Trinamool Congress is going to face some Opposition as CPI(M) has left no stone unturned to win the seat.

The sitting MLA Aroop Biswas is pitted against Madhuja Sen Roy of CPI(M). A former student of Presidency College and a leader of SFI, this is her debut.

In 2011, Biswas had won the seat by 27, 680 votes by defeating Partha Pratim Biswa of CPI(M). In 2014 Lok Sabha election Trinamool candidate Sugata Basu got 76,042 votes from this segment. Left Front candidate got 67,007 votes while BJP’s candidate got 30,524 votes. In 2015 Kolkata Municipal Corporation election Trinamool candidates did well and were able to control the borough. The BJP wave was not there and the BJP nominee could not do anything. Biswas is a well known face in the area.  He has an office off Prince Anwar Shah Road and one can see hundreds of people waiting to meet him every Sunday. His involvement with the local clubs is well known and majority of the people believe that Biswas will be by their side in time of need. It is very important to understand which side the BJP votes will go. BJP has failed to retain its vote bank and that was evident during the 2015 KMC election. If Biswas gets a sizeable percentage of BJP vote th  en he will be able to increase his margin. Over the past few years the people are getting better civic amenities. The roads are maintained and the areas are brightly illuminated.  The old garbage vats have been replaced by compactors and roads are cleaned twice a day. 

With this backdrop, the 2016 election is going to be held. Tollygunge was a red bastion and its undisputed leader was Prasanta Sur. During the Naxallite movement hundreds of naxals were killed.

Over the years the traditional Left voters shifted their allegiance to the TMC. It would have been a cake walk for Biswas had CPI(M) fielded any other candidate. Sen Roy has put emphasis on door to door campaigns. Because of the arrogance of a section of local TMC leaders, there is resentment among a section of people. And CPI(M) is targeting them. The meeting addressed by her is pulling the crowd. But despite that CPI(M) has failed to erase its history of torture and muscle flexing. The ghost of the past is chasing the present generation and the constituency is likely to return Biswas.