A total of 36,18,925 voters, including 17,85,791 women will exercise their franchise in two parliamentary constituencies – Maldah (Uttar) and Maldah (Dakshin) tomorrow when the third phase of polling will be conducted across the country tomorrow.
In Maldah (Uttar), a total of 18,48,918 voters, including 9,08,854 female voters will exercise their democratic rights. On the other hand, 17,70,007 electors, including 87,6,937 women will elect their Member of Parliament from Maldah (Dakshin). Notably, two Assembly segments Farakka and Samserganj in Murshidabad district are under Maldah (Dakshin) Lok Sabha seat.
In Malda district a total of 144 companies of Central Forces have been engaged for conducting a free and fair polling in polling stations. The state police forces have been engaged in elections by setting up 30 police booth across the district to maintain law and order.
A total of 8,190 polling personnel for Maldah (Uttar) and 5,768 polling personnel for Maldah (Dakshin) have been engaged in the general election. Women polling personnel will run a total of 60 polling booths in Malda district.
It may be noted that the two LS seats were under the control of the Congress. In 2019, the BJP candidate Khagen Murmu, a former CPM leader, was elected from the Maldah (Uttar) LS seat by defeating both the Congress and Trinamul Congress candidates.
Significantly, the TMC candidate Mousam Noor, was in second position. Ms Noor was elected as an MP from this seat in 2009 and 2014 on Congress ticket.
As a result Trinamul Congress, under the leadership of chief minister Mamata Banerjee is trying hard to win a Lok Sabha seat from Malda district in 2024 by fielding a former IPS officer Prasun Banerjee from Malda (Uttar) and Sehnaj Ali Rehan from Maldah (Dakshin).
Notably, TMC had bagged several Assembly seats from Malda, which was traditionally a Congress dominated belt, unexpectedly in 2021.
During election campaigning in Malda district, TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee expressed her happiness over the remarkable results in 2021, disclosed that her disappointment having failed to win at least one LS seat from Malda district and then earnestly requested the Malda people to elect her candidate in 2024.
In both the LS seats, there is a triangular fight among the candidates belonging to the BJP, Congress and Trinamul Congress.
Interestingly, the BJP candidates in both the seats are at an advantage due to the fight between the Congress and the Trinamul Congress to keep control over the anti-BJP vote bank in this Muslim dominated region. Notably, a senior Congress leader Mostaque Alam is contesting from Maldah Uttar LS seat.
The Congress MP AH Khan Choudhury had won from Maldah (Dakshin) by a narrow margin in 2019 when the Trinamul Congress candidate bagged huge votes and interestingly the BJP candidate Sreerupa Mitra Chowdhury was in second position. Ms Mitra Chowdhury is contesting from Maldah (Dakshin) again against outgoing MP’s son Isha Khan Choudhury.