Malda: The North Malda Parliamentary constituency came into existence in 2009 as a new seat. It has more voters from the minority community than others. This seat is now going to witness its fourth edition of Parliamentary elections. As in 2019, this time also the distribution of minority community votes is going to emerge as a table-turner, feel political observers.
The sitting MP, Khagen Murmu, from the BJP has once again filed his candidature. Trinamool Congress (TMC) along with the Congress-CPI(M) alliance are going to polls having fielded new candidates. Prasun Banerjee, former IPS has been fielded by the TMC. Mostak Alam, an experienced Congress leader from the district, has been fielded by the Congress-CPI(M) alliance.
In 2019, the splitting of minority votes acted to the advantage of the BJP with Murmu sailing through.
Murmu bagged nearly 5.10 lakh votes while Noor (TMC) bagged almost 4.25 lakh and Isha (Congress) 3.05 lakh. A total of 13,46,657 voters turned out to booths out of 16,85,955 in that year.
TMC’s Banerjee, former Superintendent of Police in Malda, has led a vigorous campaign across North Malda, gaining support from minority-dominated areas. Developmental projects by the state, including infrastructure and agricultural initiatives, bolster his candidacy. Meanwhile, Alam, known for his MLA tenure, stands as the sole Muslim candidate, potentially gaining advantage in the triangular race.
Murmu, BJP’s incumbent, leverages his tribal background and Modi’s support to secure votes in both Hindu and tribal areas. Alam said: “We are going to win the elections because a retired police officer will not get the support of the people. The main fight will be between Congress and BJP here and we’ll get a huge support from the minority community.”
Mausam Noor, TMC MP Rajya Sabha, said: “We are expecting the support of the minority community owing to the development done by the state government. We did well in the 2021 Assembly elections in this part and won 4 out of 7 assemblies which later was carried forward in Panchayat polls. The main fight will be between TMC and BJP. “
Murmu said: “The minority community people will also vote for us in order to build a strong nation under the leadership of Narendra Modi. Congress and TMC are now fighting for the second position.”
It is the minority vote that all political parties are trying to woo to help them sail smoothly this Lok Sabha election in North Malda.