Phase 3 Surveys an Existence Battle for Left & Congress in Bengaluru; EC Prepares to Fight Violence
As the nation prepares for Phase 3 of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal will be in the spotlight on May 7 when voters in seats that have often seen violence—Murshidabad, Jangipur, North Maldah, and South Maldah—cast their ballots. In addition, Bhagabangola will host assembly bypolls.
THE PROBLEM OF VIOLENCE
Because the region is renowned for violence, around 406 companies of the CAPF have been sent for Phase 3. In the area, 16 individuals lost their lives during the most recent panchayat elections. Twenty-five explosives have been removed from the region in the last several days. As directed by the Election Commission, 332 Quick Response Teams from the central troops will be present.
FLASHBACK 2019: The BJP secured over 84,000 votes in North Maldah, while the Congress secured 8,222 votes in South Maldah. Jangipur and Murshidabad were both won by the Trinamool Congress with a margin of over two lakh votes each.
A CARD FOR MINORITY
There are 28 assembly constituencies out of the four Lok Sabha seats, and the majority of them have a minority population of above 50%. Eighty percent of voters in assembly seats like Sujapur, Raninagar, and Bhagabangola are of minority ethnicity.
While the Left and Congress are battling jointly for all four seats, the Trinamool Congress is fighting alone in this instance.
Traditionally, Jangipur was held by former President Pranab Mukherjee, and the region was a Congress belt. Maldah was also a bastion for Congress. Party sources claim that Phase 3 is a make-or-break moment for CPM secretary Md Salim and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who are running against Abu Taher Khan from Murshidabad.
By promoting the Sagardighi paradigm, the Left and Congress are certain that they would defeat the BJP and the TMC. The Congress won the 2023 by-election in Sagardighi by a margin of more over 22,000 votes, providing Chowdhury with additional evidence that minorities are dissatisfied with TMC.
However, TMC signaled the importance of the votes by forcing Congress candidate Bayron Biswad, who had won, to join their party.
ADHIR DIRECTLY
In order to oppose the Trinamool Congress in an assembly election, the Left and Congress united in 2016. But the parties were a complete failure since, according to analysts, statistics indicated that the Grand Old Party was unable to persuade its constituents to support the Left, even if Left votes were moved to Congress.
It is an immense effort for the Congress and Left, who have been bitter enemies in Bengal, to contest elections together. According to the 2008 panchayat elections, about fifty individuals had killed as a result of fighting between the two parties.
While Khagen Murmu, the BJP MP for North Maldah, is fighting hard to save his seat, the BJP only has one seat in Phase 3. TMC’s Prasun Banerjee, a former IPS, is running against him.
