Kolkata, April 29 Considered a Trinamool Congress stronghold, the ruling party of West Bengal is facing multiple challenges in the Mathurapur Lok Sabha constituency in North 24 Parganas district this time.
The first factor is the poor condition of the dams scattered over Mathurapur, resulting in flooding in different parts of this constituency.
The grievance of the common people in Mathurapur is that despite being elected thrice from this constituency since 2009, outgoing Trinamool MP Choudhury Mohan Jatua was hardly seen there in the past 15 years.
Jatua, a former IPS officer, is not contesting this time as the Trinamool has replaced him with Bappi Halder. However, the fresh nomination has also sparked controversies because of his name getting involved with corruption.
Earlier this month, the Calcutta High Court issued a show-cause notice to the officer-in-charge of Mathurapur police station for not registering an FIR against Halder over allegations of panchayat fund defalcations by the latter.
Halder also has attempted to justify Jatua’s prolonged absence in the constituency. According to him, the absence was prompted by Jatua’s age-related ailments. However, Halder added that Jatua’s commitment towards his constituency has been proven by the spending of his funds allotted under MPLAD.
The BJP candidate from Mathurapur, Ashok Purkit, has vehemently opposed Halder’s claims.
“There has been no development in Mathurapur for the past so many years. The dams have not been maintained or repaired for years. If I am elected, my prime focus will be the maintenance and regular repair of the dams. My focus will be on constructing concrete structures of the river dams,” Purkit said.
Also in the fray at Mathurapur are CPI-M's Sarat Chandra Halder and All India Secular Front (AISF) nominee Ajay Kumar Das.
What makes the contest interesting is the mix of voters in this constituency. While the Scheduled Caste voters contribute 29 per cent to the voters’ strength, minority voters contribute little over 24 per cent.
This distribution of votes might be an area of discomfort for the Trinamool this time as a clear shift of SC voters towards the BJP has been witnessed throughout the state since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The general sentiment about Bengali-speaking minority voters towards the AISF might result in a sharp division in the overall minority votes, considered an asset for both the Trinamool and the AISF.
Mathurapur is known for its association with the Marxist leader of Tevaga movement (peasant uprising) in Bengal, Kansari Halder.
Barring the period between 1984 and 1989, Mathurapur was a virtual red fort from 1967 to 2004.
However, the pattern changed in 2009 with Jatua getting elected for the first time before getting re-elected in 2014 and 2019.
With a voter strength of around 16 lakh, the rural pockets dominate 94 per cent of the constituency.
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