The people of three parliamentary constituencies – Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri will exercise their franchise in the first phase of 18th Lok Sabha polls amid tight security on 19 April, following deployment of adequate Central forces.
Cooch Behar, the area became the heart of the Kamata Kingdom in the 12th century, during the British Raj it was ruled by the Koch dynasty until 1949, is highly sensitive politically compared to two other LS seats in northern north Bengal.
Political clashes between the BJP and the TMC is a common feature in Cooch Behar. Union minister Nisith Pramanik and state North Bengal development minister Udayan Guha do not hesitate to chase each other to keep control over Dinhata Assembly segment. Cooch Behar people had witnessed the death of five persons in central police firing at a polling station of Sitalkuchi Assembly segment during Assembly elections in 2021.
When chief minister Mamata Banerjee has recently asked Mr Guha to keep his head cool to take on the BJP on poll day, Mr Pramanik has requested the Election Commission to keep a close watch on Mr Guha’s movement.
Today, TMC activists staged agitation in front of Dinhata police station after the BJP supporters allegedly attacked them.
The three LS seats were under the control of the Trinamul Congress since 2014 general elections. In 2019, the BJP bagged all three seats. Now, the Trinamul Congress is trying hard to recover these seats and the BJP candidates have formulated strategies to retain the three.
Since 1977, Forward Bloc candidates have been elected from Cooch Behar. In 2014, TMC candidate Renuka Sinha was elected. The BJP had fielded a rebel TMC leader, Nisith Pramanik and bagged the LS seat in 2019. Mr Pramanik, who became a Union minister of state for home affairs later, is contesting against the TMC candidate Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, an MLA from Sitai in Cooch Behar. Significantly, both Forward Bloc and Congress candidates are contesting here due to a lack of political understanding.
Alipurduar Lok Sabha constituency, comprising over 80 per cent of its total population belong to Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe and various ethnic groups like Rajbanshi, Rabha, Metch, Santhals, Madaysia, Bodo, Toto and Oraon in the tea belt, was under the control of Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) since 1977.
In 2014, the TMC bagged the Alipurduar Lok Sabha seat by fielding a RSP leader Dasrath Tirkey. Mr Tirkey secured 36.69 per cent votes against the RSP candidate Manohar Tirkey, who managed 23.19 percent votes. Significantly, the BJP candidate Birendra Bara (Oraon) managed 22.83 per cent votes.
The BJP bagged the seat in 2019 by fielding a trader union from the tea belt John Barla, who secured 54.36 per cent votes against Mr Tirkey, who obtained 36.69 per cent votes.
Significantly, the BJP has dropped Mr Barla, though he was Union minister of state for minority affairs and fielded Manoj Tigga, who was elected as an MLA from Madarihat in Alipurduar twice.
Party had appointed Mr Tigga, who is also Chief Whip in state Assembly, as Alipurduar district party president and projected him to retain the seat.
TMC has nominated Rajya Sabha Member Prakash Baraik to take on Mr Tigga.
The Jalpaiguri LS constituency shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh and neighbouring districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar. A sizable population of Jalpaiguri resides in tea plantations where the backbone of the trade industry of this district is tea-timber-tourism.
Since 1980, the CPM traditionally kept control over the Jalpaiguri LS seat till 2009. But the TMC bagged the seat in 2014 by fielding Bijoy Chandra Barman. Mr Barman obtained 32.31 per cent votes against the CPM’s sitting MP Mahendra Kumar Roy, who managed 27.76 per cent votes. On the other hand, the BJP candidate Satyalal Sarkar secured 14.47 per cent.
But the BJP finally bagged the Jalpaiguri LS constituency by fielding a doctor from North Bengal Medical College and Hospital Dr Jayanta Kumar Roy, who secured 50.63 per cent votes, in 2019. Sitting MP Mr Barman managed 38.37 per cent votes.
The BJP at the last moment fielded Dr Roy against the TMC candidate Dr Nirmal Chandra Roy, a retired professor, who was elected as an MLA from Dhupguri, which was under the control of saffron party in a bypoll in Jalpaiguri, a few months back.
The Prime Minister visited twice in this region and campaigned for his three BJP candidates. TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee visited thrice and her party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also visited several times to garner votes.