KOLKATA: The ruling Trinamool Congress is contesting all seats except one on a stronger wicket since it won the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 with a comfortable margin.
Barrackpore is an exception because BJP’s Arjun Singh won the seat in 2019, but he switched to the TMC in 2022, but was back in the saffron fold before the 2024 polls.
Seven parliamentary seats are up for grabs in the May 20 elections. They are Bangaon, Barrackpur, Howrah, Uluberia, Sreerampur, Hooghly, Arambagh. In Bangaon, the battleground is set for a fierce contest between Biswajit Das Shantanu Thakur of the BJP, and Pradip Biswas of INC-CPM.
Intensifying her attack on BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the state will avenge the “injustice” of the BJP and the “anti-Bengalis will be washed away for sure.” Banerjee in a post on her X handle said, “It is a sin to block the funds earmarked for development of the poor but continue splurging money on spreading propaganda”.
The TMC supremo had been vocal about alleged non-payment of Central dues to the state under various schemes like MNREGA (100 days work) and PM Awas Yojana (housing) for the last three years totalling more than Rs 1.65 lakh crore. “Bengal will avenge this injustice by the BJP”, she said, adding “The people of Jhargram, Ghatal and Medinipur have given a clear message -- the Bishorjon of Bangla-Birodhis is certain!”
Barrackpur
Trinamool sources claim the party has an edge in Barrackpur though Arjun Singh left TMC to join BJP as the people are satisfied with the schemes that Banerjee has introduced in every district. Five years ago, Singh switched to the BJP from TMC to win the 2019 polls, only to return three years later. Singh defeated the then TMC candidate Dinesh Trivedi (now in BJP) in 2019 by less than 15,000 votes. This time, Singh is facing TMC’s Partha Bhowmick and CPM’s Debdut Ghosh, supported by the Congress.
Hooghly
The constituency will witness the clash of two cine stars: BJP’s Locket Chatterjee will be defending the seat against a newcomer, Rachna Banerjee of TMC. The latter hosts a popular TV show. Banerjee was seen visiting villages in Hooghly, meeting people and making hilarious comments. Her comment did not go down well with a section of TMC leaders.
The Hooghly seat had its tryst with saffron as early as the first general election that the country saw. Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee won the general election of 1952 as a nominee of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, the earlier version of today’s BJP. Since then, much water has flown down the Hooghly. The BJP nominee has vowed that the party will bring back the Tatas to Singur if elected to power in the state.
Howrah
The constituency comprises seven assembly segments -- Bally, Howrah Uttar, Howrah Madhya, Shibpur, Howrah Dakshin and Sankrail (SC). TMC’s MP Prasun Banerjee is pitted against Dr Rathin Chakraborty of the BJP. The CPM has fielded Sabyasachi Chatterjee. The constituency is all set to witness a tough contest between Prasun Banerjee and Rathin Chakraborty, with the TMC having an edge even as the BJP is putting up a tough fight. In the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the BJP increased its vote share to 38.9% and the TMC bagged 47.4% of the votes.
Uluberia
Uluberia is another constituency in Howrah district which had a major jute processing centre. However, the industry declined. Around 70 establishments have come up in the industrial park in the region, which is spread across 128.69 acre. These units are into engineering, manufacturing, and also food products. In the 2024 election, Sajda Ahmed of TMC is pitted against Arun Uday Pal Chaudhary of BJP and Azahar Mollick of the Congress.
Sreerampur
Also written as Srirampore, Serampore, among other spellings, and is in Hooghly district. It was a Danish settlement founded in the 18th century, and acquired by the British in 1845. Today, it is highly urbanized. Since 2009, TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee has represented the seat. He is pitted against BJP’s Kabir Shankar Bose and CPM’s Dipsita Dhar.
Arambag
Among the seven assembly segments in the seat, the BJP won four and TMC three in the 2021 state polls. Though Aparupa Poddar of TMC wrested the seat from CPM’s Sakti Mohan Malik in 2014 and retained it in 2019, her vote share fell drastically. The TMC has nominated Mitali Bag who is pitted against BJP’s Arup Kanti Digar and CPM’s Biplab Kumar Moitra.