Balurghat: The ruling Trinamool Congress has intensified its outreach campaign among Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in an effort to reclaim the Tapan Assembly constituency in South Dinajpur, which it lost by a narrow margin of just 1,600 votes in the last Assembly election.
As part of this initiative, the party has launched a programme titled “Tapashili Sanglap” (Scheduled Dialogue), aimed at directly interacting with SC and ST voters and strengthening its organisational base in the region. The campaign began last Friday in the Chandipur area of the Tapan Assembly constituency. On Sunday, several party leaders took part in the programme at Fatepur village.
According to TMC leaders, the main objective of the programme is to engage with local residents, understand their problems, demands and opinions and ensure that the benefits of various welfare schemes of the state government reach every household.
The Tapan Assembly constituency comprises five gram panchayats under Tapan block and eight gram panchayats under Balurghat block. A significant portion of the population in the constituency belongs to Scheduled Tribe communities, making the vote bank crucial in elections.
In the last Assembly polls, TMC candidate Kalpana Kisku lost to BJP candidate Budhrai Tudu by just 1,600 votes. Although the TMC had secured leads in the five gram panchayats under Tapan block, the party lagged behind in the eight gram panchayats under Balurghat block, which ultimately led to the defeat.
Learning from that outcome, the party has now decided to focus particularly on strengthening its presence in the areas of the constituency that fall under Balurghat block. TMC leaders are conducting daily door-to-door outreach campaigns across villages using a tableau under the banner of “Tapashili Sanglap.”
During the campaign, party workers are visiting tribal-dominated villages and interacting directly with residents. They are informing people about various welfare schemes introduced by the state government, especially those aimed at the development of tribal communities. Efforts are also being made to identify families who have not yet received benefits from any government scheme and guide them on how they can access such assistance.
South Dinajpur District Primary School Council chairman Santosh Hansda is playing a leading role in the campaign, accompanied by leaders from the party’s main and affiliated organisations.
“We are reaching people directly through this programme. The state government has launched several schemes for the development of tribal communities. Our goal is to ensure that every family receives the benefits of these schemes. At the same time, we are also making people aware of incidents of injustice against Scheduled communities in other states,” Hansda said.