Motuas’ dissatisfaction with Raiganj BJP candidate to tilt in TMC’s favour

Raiganj: Dissatisfaction has surfaced among members of the Motua community in Raiganj after their demand for a BJP candidate from their own community was reportedly ignored. The development, coupled with a large number of Motua community people being struck off the electoral rolls, may have an impact on voting patterns in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Members of the Motua Maha Sangha had urged the BJP leadership to nominate a candidate from the Motua community for the Raiganj Assembly seat. However, the party fielded Kaushik Chowdhury, leading to resentment among a section of the community.

Sources indicated that many Motua voters are now undecided and may refrain from supporting the BJP candidate.

Another factor contributing to the discontent is the alleged deletion of several Motua names from the electoral roll during the Special Intensive Revision process.

Community members claim that this has further alienated them from the BJP. Political observers believe that this situation could benefit Trinamool Congress candidate Krishna Kalyani, who is currently the sitting MLA of the Constituency.

According to sources, there are around three lakh refugee voters in North Dinajpur district, a large section of whom belong to the Motua community. In Raiganj alone, over 43,000 refugees reside, including around 26,000 Motua voters.

This makes the community a significant electoral force in the Constituency. Members of the Motua Maha Sangha had reportedly backed Babulal Bala, an assistant professor of Raiganj University, as their preferred candidate. However, their demand was not accommodated by the BJP leadership.

Sukhen Chandra Barui, district secretary of the Motua Maha Sangha, expressed disappointment, stating that the party neither considered their demand nor held discussions with community representatives before finalising the candidate.

Echoing similar sentiments, Tapan Biswas, a member of the organisation, said that Babulal Bala had been actively working for refugees, Motuas and issues like citizenship in recent years and was considered a

suitable candidate.