SILIGURI: Siliguri and Dabgram-Fulbari, two constituencies in North Bengal, have turned into battlegrounds ahead of the assembly elections, where narratives of development, identity, and law and order are colliding head-on.
As the assembly poll dates, April 23 and 29, approach, political tensions in this strategic gateway to the Northeast are rising, with every party preparing for a fierce contest.
While the TMC is trying to reclaim ground lost to the BJP, the task has been made harder by the saffron party’s surge in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the BJP widened its lead significantly over the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
The BJP has fielded its winning faces, Sankar Ghosh in Siliguri and Sikha Chatterjee in Dabgram-Fulbari, banking on continuity and a campaign that targets alleged governance lapses.
The TMC, on the other hand, has reshuffled its candidates, moving Siliguri Mayor Gautam Deb from Dabgram-Fulbari to Siliguri in an effort to reclaim the urban seat.
However, emotion and outrage are shaping the discourse.
The death of a teenage girl, who was found hanging in her home recently, has ignited a political storm.
Claiming that Deb visited the bereaved family only 36 hours after the incident, Ghosh questioned the safety of residents under Deb’s leadership and alleged administrative apathy.
"Is Siliguri really safe under its self-proclaimed guardian?" Ghosh asked, demanding the arrest of a private tutor, whom the BJP alleges was responsible for the girl’s death.
He also criticised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, stating that she did not address the incident while holding public meetings in constituencies near Siliguri.
Deb has attempted a counter by blending Hindutva with development messaging.
His participation in Ram Navami celebrations and chants of "Jai Shri Ram" signals an effort to connect with Siliguri's sizeable Hindi-speaking Hindu electorate, while simultaneously accusing the BJP of playing divisive politics.
Deb has gone on the offensive, alleging that the BJP thrives on polarisation and is encouraging demands for the division of West Bengal.
He claimed that the BJP’s top priority is to gain political mileage from a “conspiracy” to create a separate state comprising Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling districts.
"The BJP gives oxygen to those spreading divisive ploys to divide the state whenever elections are near," he said.
"The BJP is not concerned about development and aims to disrupt the state's progress," Deb added, concentrating on door-to-door campaigns to highlight development work undertaken during his mayorship.
Locals say that development and law and order are the key issues.
"Siliguri city has expanded a lot, but the real challenge is to ensure civic facilities and lawful constructions so that planned development takes place," he told PTI.
Situated on the 'Chicken’s Neck' near the borders of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, Siliguri holds tremendous strategic importance as the gateway to the northeastern states.
Adding another layer of contestation is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The BJP claims it will cleanse the system of bogus voters, projecting it as a step towards electoral integrity. The TMC, however, calls it a targeted exercise, accusing the Election Commission of bias and warning of voter suppression.
Meanwhile, the Left has entered the fray with Saradindu Chakraborty, attempting to reclaim lost ground after CPI(M) veteran Ashok Bhattacharya’s defeat in 2021.
In the 2021 assembly elections, the BJP secured 50.03 per cent votes in Siliguri, while the TMC bagged 30.11 per cent and the CPI(M) 16.14 per cent.
In the 2024 parliamentary elections, the BJP secured 63.9 per cent, TMC 27.08 per cent, and Congress 5.99 per cent from this assembly segment within the Darjeeling Lok Sabha polls.
Dabgram-Fulbari tells a similar story.
Gautam Deb’s defeat there in 2021 still casts a long shadow, as BJP’s Sikha Chatterjee consolidates her position with an even stronger showing in the Lok Sabha polls. In the last assembly polls, Chatterjee won by a margin of nearly 28,000 votes.
Deb, a former minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet, won the constituency in 2011 and 2016. The TMC has fielded Ranjan Sil Sharma, a school teacher, in Dabgram-Fulbari.
Maintaining that the TMC does not politicise religion, Sharma said, "We also revere Lord Ram and pay obeisance to him, but we do not try to gain political mileage from that."
He added that SIR exercises had occurred previously without causing harassment, asserting, "But the BJP will not be able to come to power in this manner."
Chatterjee has focused firmly on women’s safety, calling it the government’s biggest failure.
"Schemes alone don’t guarantee security," she argued. "While Mamata Banerjee is giving Kanyashree benefits to women, on the other hand, women are facing sexual offences."
In the 2021 Dabgram-Fulbari assembly segment, the BJP secured 49.85 per cent votes, TMC 39.19 per cent, and CPI(M) 6.95 per cent.
The BJP’s vote share in this part of Jalpaiguri district increased to 60.3 per cent in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, while TMC bagged 32.38 per cent and CPI(M) 4.44 per cent.