Sitai bypoll: ‘Opposition absent in campaign trail’

Cooch Behar: Polling for the by-elections in Sitai Assembly Constituency is scheduled for Wednesday, but the Opposition has been largely absent from the campaign trail. Despite the final phase of campaigning, there is no visible presence of BJP materials in the Sitai block.

Traveling from Gosanimari Village Panchayat in Dinhata-I block to Sitai, one can notice the absence of BJP flags, posters, or wall writings along the 7 km stretch. Instead, only Trinamool Congress (TMC) flags and graffiti are visible on both sides of the road. The same scene unfolds across other areas of Sitai block, including Chamta, BR Chatra and Adabari. A flag attached to a bamboo pole is seen fluttering in a remote village near the Bangladesh border. Local residents, mostly resting under trees after working in the fields, explained that only Trinamool had a visible presence in the area. A woman collecting water from a nearby village praised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s initiatives, such as the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme and the construction of the Mansai Bridge, which had been a long-standing demand.

BJP candidate Deepak Kumar Roy alleged: “There is rampant terror in Sitai. People are afraid to speak out. As a local resident, I am well known here. I’ve contested elections three times before and have always led in this block. If people can vote freely, I am confident I will secure a lead this time as well.” In contrast, Trinamool Congress candidate Sangeeta Roy countered: “There is no BJP organisation in Sitai, which is why they are unable to mobilise support.

Their claims of terror are baseless. The truth is, they know they cannot win, so they are resorting to spreading lies.”