One of the most keenly watched contests in West Bengal in the ongoing Lok Sabha election is unfolding in the Krishnanagar seat, which has come to limelight for being the constituency of Mahua Moitra.
The feisty Ms. Moitra, who was expelled from Parliament when she was a sitting MP from this seat, has been fielded again by her party Trinamool Congress. She is pitted against the BJP’s Amrita Roy, the daughter-in-law of the royal family of Krishnanagar, better known locally as “Rani Ma” (Queen Mother).
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The importance of the contest for the BJP can be gauged from the fact that Ms. Roy, along with Sandeshkhali BJP candidate Rekha Patra, were the two contestants Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up when their nominations were announced.
At first glance, this looks like a direct fight between a former MP from a party which rules the State and a first-time contestant, who though a political novice boasts much local connect and formidable organisational strength of the party in power at the Centre.
What actually plays out on the ground, however, is a triangular contest in which a third party — seemingly a bit player — has the capability to mash up the scene in favour of the BJP candidate. The candidate in question is S.M. Sadi of the Communist Party Of India (Marxist), who has been fielded by the CPI(M)-Congress alliance.
When they fought separately in 2019, CPI(M) with 1.2 lakh votes and Congress with 38,305 votes were a decisive factor, and Ms. Moitra had won by a margin of 63,218 votes.
To begin with, the contest isn’t between two parties or two candidates. It is perhaps between a party — read the BJP — and a candidate [read Ms. Moitra].
“We as a party have to ensure that Mahua Moitra is defeated specially after the incident in Parliament,” says Sadhan Ghosh, the vice-president of the Nadia unit of BJP.
The incident he is referring to is the expulsion of Ms. Moitra in December last year over cash-for-query allegations. In March this year, Ms. Moitra’s ancestral residence in Kolkata’s Alipore area was searched by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Her party has officially stood by her and termed her expulsion and the searches as a political witch-hunt and she was repeated from the seat this time despite the controversy.
The BJP, which has been fighting tooth and nail in Bengal to expand its foothold, is banking on the Left and Congress candidate to bail it out in this round. They are hoping Mr. Sadi takes away a chunk of the Muslim votes from the Trinamool.
“Usually, Muslims have an affinity towards voting for a candidate from their own community,” says Tulika Bhattacharya, head of the women’s wing of the BJP in Nadia district.
A claim which has brought some disquiet in the local Trinamool ranks.
Though none wanted to be quoted officially, a number of local Trinamool workers The Hindu spoke with were worried that if Mr. Sadi did succeed in splitting votes, then Ms. Moitra could finish with a razor-thin victory margin or Ms. Roy could make it to the finishing line.
The Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency comprises seven Assembly segments out of which four have a sizeable Muslim population namely Palashipara, Nakashipara, Chapra and Kaliganj. The fact that Mr. Sadi has been an MLA from Palashipara means he also has direct connect with people in the area.
The CPI(M)-Congress alliance is not mincing words while campaigning and is targeting both Trinamool and the BJP equally. As one travels from the Krishnanagar town to Tehatta Assembly segment where Mr. Modi held a rally on Friday, one cannot but observe the enthusiasm with which the CPI(M) campaign is on.
Trinamool workers are also worried that Ms Moitra’s style of campaigning is too individualistic. “She has her own team and informs us whenever she needs support”.
The focus of Ms. Moitra’s campaign has been on roadshows in gram panchayat areas. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressed a rally at Tehatta in support on Ms. Moitra on May 3. Earlier, the Trinamool chief had campaigned for her in March.
Another Trinamool worker, who did not wish to be quoted, said that Ms. Moitra was a very good MP as she has brought development but “we as party workers do not have a line of communication with her”. Officially, the Trinamool maintains that Didi (Ms. Banerjee) will ensure her victory.
This gap between workers and candidates was not visible in the BJP camp though. Here the organisation was driving a reluctant politician who in her own words “did not feel initially that politics was her cup of tea”. But “the way people in Bengal are suffering due to corruption and ‘cut money’ everywhere made me take up the challenge”, she told The Hindu clad in a saffron coloured Sari.
She said that Mr. Modi during his rally at Tehatta inquired about how her campaign was going and whether she was facing any problems.
Incidentally, the Trinamool had alleged that the erstwhile royal family to which Ms. Roy belongs had sided with the British as Raja Krishnachandra Roy had helped the British forces when Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah was fighting against British rule.
The BJP candidate’s rebuttal was that he backed the British because of the torture of Siraj-ud-Daullah. “If he had not done that, would Hinduism have survived here? Would Sanatana Dharma have survived?”
