In the battle votes, a physician and a folk singer are trying their best to rule the minds of the electorate. In Bardhaman Purba Lok Sabha constituency. The 17.99 lakh-strong voters of this parliamentary constituency are being wooed by Dr Sharmila Sarkar, a senior psychiatrist and a lecturer has been nominated by the Trinamul Congress and the BJP candidate Asim Sarkar, the MLA from Haringhata in Nadia, who is a folk singer too.

TMC’s Sunil Mondal had won the seat in 2019 defeating BJP candidate Paresh Chandra Das by 89,311 votes. The same Mondal had won the seat by 1.14 lakh votes defeating CPM candidate Ishwar Chandra Das in 2014. Mondal was however dropped by his party this year. In 2009, the Delimitation Council of India had carved out this new constituency from erstwhile Katwa constituency where the CPM had a stronghold till 2009.

“After a considerable time, I’m back on my home turf, where I grew up. People are known to me well,” said Dr Sarkar. She hails from Agradwip, near Katwa town. The BJP initially tried to tag her as an ‘outsider’, which didn’t sustain.

Kobial (singer poet) Sarkar hails from Nadia, and is taking digs at Dr Sarkar airing his composed songs throughout his campaign trails like – ‘Ore Sarkar Sharmila tui moner daktar, mon bujhleo chor chinte parlina’ (Sharmila though you are a psychiatrist, but failed to identify the thieves). He’s always been carrying a group of folk singers for his public meetings. About the BJP candidate repeatedly mocking her, Dr Sarkar said: “It’s his taste and choice for personal attack. Still I enjoyed the rhythms.” A disciple of Bhaba Pagla (Bhabendra Mohan Roy Choudhury), a 20th century saint, who’d migrated from Dhaka and camped permanently beside the Bhagirathi in Kalna where Asim’s father had joined.

Dr Sarkar is seen walking for miles each day to reach the voters in remote villages. She’s giving a brief halt to attend the patients, in between. Her rival, BJP’s Sarkar, said, “Beyond politics, I liked her gesture of social service.”

“I know each family residing in Kalna and they allow me as their family member. How can this Dr lady, who can only treat mental disorders, be their kin? I’m a ‘Class four-pass’ man, still they come to me for a respite as they breathe my songs over the years,” Asim claimed. He’s heavily banking on the Matua vote bank, staying along the Bhagirathi and Damodar riverbanks. He said, “CAA is my trump card here, which helped garner ‘unexpected’ support for BJP.” He however accepted the fragile organizational strength of his party here, which incidentally has emerged as Dr Sarkar’s USP.

The constituency accommodates 27.41 per cent SC population, besides 20.73 per cent minority. Highest SC presence is marked in Raina Assembly segment (37.13 per cent) of the constituency. Raina had contributed highest lead to the TMC in 2019 (by 54,849 votes) and Purbasthali (North) segment here though is having the maximum presence of the minority voters (20.73 per cent) had sponsored lowest lead margin (of 2,705 votes) to the TMC. The BJP secured a lead by 1,859 votes in Katwa segment. In 2021 Assembly election, the TMC candidates had secured their victory in the entire seven Assembly segments here, where the TMC grabbed 47.02 per cent vote share, the BJP had 40.42 per cent and the CPM had a meager 9.85 per cent share. Purbasthali (North) again recorded the lowest lead figure of 6,706 votes, Memari registered the maximum (23,078 votes) lead margin.

“CPM this time will see a ‘comeback’ of its voters, which certainly is going to benefit the TMC,” claimed Nirab Khan, the party’s candidate for the constituency. He said, “People have seen how TMC had sponsored candidates for BJP in 2023 in areas like Stibati, Korui, Singi, Polsona, Jaganandapur, Ghazipur, here. The same BJP candidates are serving for the TMC candidate now.” Rabindranath Chatterjee, TMC’s district president, said, “A party that has been rejected by the masses should try to look into its own affairs first.”

About BJP’s singer candidate, he said: “Songs are good for mind but a singer with venom to divide people doesn’t resemble divinely, harmonious people of Kalna, Katwa know it very well.”