Barrackpore, Arjun Singh’s “fort” fell today. The results on Tuesday showed that the BJP candidate and outgoing MP has lost his “fort.”
In Barrackpore, Trinamul candidate Partha Bhowmik has won. After his defeat, Arjun said, “No more party-switching.” Arjun couldn’t reconcile his calculations in Barrackpore. In discussions, he often said, “I contest elections after making all the calculations. From the minute one election ends, I start preparing for the next.” But the results in Barrackpore indicate that none of Arjun’s calculations worked this time. He himself has admitted this. He said, “My calculations didn’t work out.” Defeating Arjun Singh, Trinamul candidate Partha Bhowmik won in Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency with his clean image and ministerial strength. Arjun, however, blamed the local law and order situation for the loss.
To understand how significant Arjun’s defeat to his former colleague Partha Bhowmik is, one needs to look back a bit. In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Arjun Singh left Trinamul and joined the BJP. Though he won in Barrackpore that time, the margin was less than 14,000 votes, defeating then Trinamul MP Dinesh Trivedi. The “strongman” had gained the BJP’s trust.
Before the 2021 Assembly elections, Arjun rejoined the Trinamul camp. Although he was brought back, the Trinamul chief took cautious steps and did not assign him any responsibilities.
For the 2024 Lok Sabha election, not receiving a ticket from Trinamul, he rejoined the BJP camp. He got a ticket but did not taste victory.