BJP eyes non-Bengali vote to increase vote share in Kolkata North seat

Kolkata: With the Kolkata North Lok Sabha constituency all set to witness a fight between two veteran politicians, voters are divided on the basis of community, political allegiance and loyalty, among other factors that may also contribute towards splitting of votes in this constituency.

Kolkata North constituency, comprising seven Assembly seats, has a mixed voter profile where a considerable per cent of people are from the non-Bengali community and hence from the business sector, especially in Burrabazar and its adjoining areas.

Trinamool Congress (TMC), in 2021 Assembly polls, had bagged all seven Assembly seats - Chowringhee, Entally, Beleghata, Jorasanko, Shyampukur, Maniktala and Cossipore-Belgachia. The sitting MP Sudip Banerjee, who has been winning the seat since 2009 for three consecutive elections, is confident that nothing will stand in his way in securing the seat again.

Tapas Roy, a veteran politician who recently defected to BJP from TMC has been fielded by the saffron brigade to take Banerjee head-on.

Roy, before switching to BJP, had openly voiced his complaints against Sudip, alleging that he was deeply involved with the BJP and was solely responsible for orchestrating a raid at his house by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Besides Roy, TMC member Kunal Ghosh too had voiced his allegations against Banerjee for “hijacking the party” and even running a zilla parishad office from a school premises. Ghosh had even said that Kolkata North never had a women MP and hence the state Cabinet minister Shashi Panja be fielded from here.

However, TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee have decided to put their weight behind Sudip who has won the seat for the party thrice and is said to have a strong hold on majority of the Assembly seats.

Also, party sources said that Roy will hardly be a factor in the majority of the assembly seats.

The BJP, on the other hand, is banking on increasing its vote share from several areas including Burrabazar, Sealdah, Lebutala, Amherst Street. Non-Bengali voter base will be its aim.