COOCH BEHAR: An uneasy calm grips residents of Dinhata and Sitalkuchi constituencies in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district as they head towards the April 23 assembly polls, with concerns over possible violence weighing heavily on voters.
Considered among the state’s most volatile constituencies, the areas have a history of clashes between TMC and BJP workers, often escalating into serious law-and-order situations involving bombs and firearms.
In Dinhata, sitting MLA and North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha has focused on development issues during campaigning, refraining from provocative remarks, observers note. He faces BJP’s Ajay Roy in the upcoming election. Guha had lost the seat to BJP leader Nisith Pramanik by just 57 votes in 2021 but regained it in a bypoll with a massive margin after Pramanik vacated it.
The constituency has witnessed multiple incidents of violence in recent years. Guha himself was attacked during the 2021 post-poll unrest. In 2023, one person was killed in panchayat poll-related clashes, while further incidents of violence, including attacks on political leaders and vandalism, were reported in 2025.
Adding to tensions is discontent over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with around 26,000 names either deleted or under scrutiny. A significant number of those affected are residents of former Bangladeshi enclaves, who became Indian citizens following the 2015 land boundary agreement.
Many residents claim they are still awaiting inclusion in the voter list despite repeated appeals. Some have indicated plans to move court if their names are not restored.
In neighbouring Sitalkuchi, memories of the 2021 poll violence — in which five people were killed, including four in CISF firing at a polling booth — continue to haunt voters.
The BJP had won the seat in 2021, defeating the TMC candidate by a margin of nearly 18,000 votes. This time, both parties have fielded new faces, adding a fresh dimension to the contest.
With a history of political unrest and unresolved voter roll issues, both constituencies are heading into the elections under a cloud of uncertainty.