Victory margin of BJP’s Sukanta Majumdar declines

BALURGHAT: BJP candidate and BJP Bengal state president Sukanta Majumdar’s winning margin for the Balurghat Lok Sabha seat has declined considerably. In the Lok Sabha elections, Majumdar defeated his nearest rival, Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Biplab Mitra, by a margin of 10,386 votes.

While Majumdar secured 574,996 votes, Mitra got 564,610 votes. In the 2019 elections, Majumdar had secured 538,654 votes against Trinamool Congress candidate Arpita Ghosh, who garnered 505,099 votes, resulting in a victory margin of 33,555 votes. Thus, Majumdar’s margin of victory decreased by 23,169 votes in 2024.

As vote counting began on Tuesday, Mitra initially led against Sukanta Majumdar until the sixth round. However, Majumdar eventually overtook Mitra. Balurghat Lok Sabha Constituency comprises seven Assembly segments — Balurghat, Tapan, Kumarganj, Kushmandi, Gangarampur and Harirampur in South Dinajpur and Itahar in North Dinajpur district. The Election Commission had not announced the final results till late on Tuesday night. Trinamool Congress then demanded a recount, alleging EVM rigging, particularly in 25 booths of the Gangarampur Assembly. The recount that went on till the wee hours of Tuesday, however, reconfirmed Majumdar’s victory.

Trinamool Congress candidate Biplab Mitra said: “I demanded a recount in every booth of Balurghat, Tapan and Gangarampur Assembly, asserting the need to check EVMs and VVPATs. The Election Commission agreed to recount votes in 10 booths only.” Mitra expressed dissatisfaction with this decision and accused the Election Commission of bias, alleging EVM tampering by the BJP in Gangarampur.

Tensions escalated when Trinamool Congress agents protested at the Balurghat College counting centre against alleged misconduct by the Central Forces. The district police eventually restored order, allowing the agents to return to the counting centre after being temporarily removed.

Following his victory, Sukanta Majumdar acknowledged the challenge posed by Biplab Mitra and credited his team’s perseverance for the win.

“I dedicate the victory to the workers of our party and the voters of the South Dinajpur district,” he stated.

Post-election results indicated that Majumdar had a significant lead in Balurghat, Tapan, and Gangarampur Assembly constituencies, while Mitra led in Harirampur, Kushmandi, Kumarganj and Itahar.

Bijin Krishna, South Dinajpur District Election Officer, said: “Sukanta Majumdar received a certificate of victory and that a recount was

conducted in 10 booths as per the Trinamool Congress candidate’s request.”