Seat to see close fight between TMC & CPI(M), BJP ‘zero factor’
Kolkata: The residents of the seven Assembly Constituencies (AC) within the Dum Dum Parliamentary Constituency (PC) are set to witness an electrifying showdown. Veteran Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) Sougata Roy, vying for his fourth term, will clash with seasoned CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty in a fierce, neck-and-neck contest. With the BJP factor negligible here, this battle shapes up as a compelling duel.Even though BJP’s candidate Shilbhadra Dutta is contesting from Dum Dum PC, the electorate here seems reluctant to give much importance to the saffron party.
Conversations with residents of the area revealed that while they are only aware of Dutta’s candidacy, however, his presence was nearly absent during the campaign period. In contrast, people frequently saw Roy and Chakraborty actively engaging with voters in the area.
Statistics reveal that Sougata Roy, the incumbent MP, has achieved a hat trick by securing his seat three times since 2009. Roy garnered 47.04 per cent of the vote in 2009, which dropped to 42.67 per cent in 2014. In 2019, his vote share remained almost the same at 42.51 per cent. On the other hand, the vote percentage for CPI(M) has gradually decreased, dropping from 44.94 per cent in 2009 to 13.91 per cent in 2019.
BJP, however, managed to increase its vote in 2019, compared to its vote percentage in 2009 and 2014. Under the Dum Dum PC, the total number of voters is 1699656, including 838090 male and 861521 female voters, along with 45 persons belonging to the third gender.
One of the major challenges faced by the candidates is the waterlogging issue. The residents of Baranagar, Kamarhati, Panihati, and Khardah are reportedly exasperated with the persistent waterlogging problem on both sides of B T Road. Additionally, vast areas of Panihati experience severe waterlogging issues every monsoon.
During his campaign rallies, Roy in several public meetings spoke about the ‘vindictive’ attitude of the Centre as well as the schemes that were started by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the people.Meanwhile, CPI(M) candidate Sujan Chakraborty has devised seven master plans for the development of each Assembly Constituency under Dum Dum PC.
Additionally, CPI(M) has been more active in campaigning than in previous elections. However, a section of residents might not accept Chakraborty as he is not a resident of Dum Dum or its surrounding areas.
Though, Roy is not a resident of the area, however, he appears to have an advantage due to having served as the MP for this seat three times.