Bagda’s battle of bloodlines: Matua votes, SIR and BJP internal rift in focus

Kolkata: Bagda in North 24-Parganas has all the ingredients of a high-voltage contest this election — a powerful community vote, a family face-off and unease over voter rolls that could shape the outcome.

At the centre is the Matua factor. The Matuas, followers of a 19th-century reformist movement that challenged caste hierarchies, migrated from East Pakistan in the 1950s and today form a significant section of Bengal’s population. In Bagda, their presence is strong enough to influence the result. The BJP has sought to consolidate Matua support around citizenship and identity, while the Trinamool Congress has leaned on welfare delivery and grassroots outreach. Both sides are tailoring their pitch to this community.

The battle also carries a personal edge. The BJP has fielded Soma Thakur, wife of Union minister and Bongaon MP Shantanu Thakur. Facing her is Trinamool’s sitting MLA Madhuparna Thakur — Shantanu’s cousin — turning it into a Thakur-versus-Thakur fight. The backdrop of last year’s dispute between Shantanu Thakur and his elder brother Subrata Thakur over caste certificates and organisational control adds another layer.

The Left Front has fielded Gour Biswas of the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), which has had a historical presence in the Constituency.

On the ground, another issue is shaping conversations. Around 40,000 names are reported to have been deleted from the rolls during the Special Intensive Revision in this Matua-dominated seat.

While the BJP has described it as a temporary problem, the scale of deletions has raised concern among sections of voters. Bagda’s electoral history shows a seat that frequently changes hands.

Earlier, it often swung between the Congress and the AIFB. In 2021, the BJP won by 9,792 votes, polling over 1.08 lakh against the Trinamool’s roughly 98,000 in an electorate of about 2.77 lakh. The picture changed after the BJP MLA Biswajit Das defected, leading to a bypoll in which Madhuparna Thakur won by more than 33,000 votes.

Even as the BJP looks to regain ground by banking on the Thakur name and Matua support, discontent has surfaced within its ranks, with protests in parts of the Constituency over the choice of candidate, with some local leaders alleging that an “outsider” had been imposed and demanding a local face.

Between a divided house, a decisive community vote and a Constituency known for swinging between parties, Bagda is headed for a tightly contested battle.