Kolkata: The North Kolkata Parliamentary constituency that is set to go for polls on June 1 is most likely to resemble a clash of titans with one having to save its throne while the other would seek to grab it to exact a “revenge” born out of “betrayal” and “displeasure” that was brewing since long.
Ever since the former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Tapas Roy switched to BJP and became the latter party’s candidate for Kolkata North seat, a cold war ensued with the TMC candidate Sudip Banerjee who has earned the wrath of Roy for allegedly betraying him. At a rally supporting Sudip, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee took aim at Roy without naming him. In an apparent reference to the Central agency raid on Roy’s house, she stated that TMC seeks people with nerves of steel, while turncoats, fearful of the Central agencies, have jumped ship.
The seat shot to limelight ever since a section of TMC workers declared a revolt against Banerjee under the leadership of TMC’s former spokesperson and former state general secretary Kunal Ghosh who had openly declared that the seat never had a woman MP and hence the TMC MLA of Shyampukur, Shashi Panja was the
deserving candidate.
According to political analysts, for Sudip, a three-time MP of the seat since 2009, it will be a prestige fight since his defeat may end his electoral prospects. For Roy, it will be a melee where he is waiting to deliver a knockout that will deliver a message to his former party that he was allegedly “wronged”.
Roy is depending on the support of his close aides from the former party while the saffron brigade will be putting its weight behind him by attempting to consolidate votes from Assembly constituencies with majority non-Bengali voters.
The seat comprises seven Assembly seats: Chowringhee, Entally, Beleghata, Jorasanko, Shyampukur, Maniktala, Cossipore-Belgachia. All the seven assembly seats were won by the TMC in the 2021 Assembly elections.
However, seats such as Jorasanko and Chowringhee have a considerable number of non-Bengali voters, especially in Burrabazar area, to whom the BJP is appealing to, and for which it even got PM Modi to rally on Tuesday evening. The BJP has been asking voters to keep in mind the national scenario and the alleged corruption by TMC.
Meanwhile, veteran Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya is fighting the Kolkata North seat as the Congress and the CPI(M) had entered a seat
sharing arrangement.
However, the prospect for Congress is apparently bleak as electorates opine that it’s a duel between the ruling party and the BJP.