As the election scenario heats up in the state, the high-profile Siliguri Assembly constituency is abuzz with activity and speculations as to who will have the last laugh when votes are counted on 2 May.
This time around, the constituency is set to witness an interesting battle between CPI-M heavyweight Asok Bhattacharya and his former “disciple” Shankar Ghosh, a BJP candidate, when people vote for them in the fifth phase of the elections here on 17 April.
Siliguri residents are, however, not talking much about Trinamul Congress candidate Professor Om Prakash Mishra, who is being branded as an “outsider,” according to observers.
“The fate of Professor Mishra is uncertain, especially after senior TMC leader Nantu Paul today announced that he would contest the polls in Siliguri as an Independent candidate,” a political observer said.
As no one can ignore the contribution of Asok Bhattacharya when it comes to the development of Siliguri, especially when he was the former urban development and municipal affairs minister, voters here predict positive results in his favour, though he suffered defeat in the Assembly polls in 2011 at the hands of TMC candidate Dr Rudranath Bhattacharya.
Though political observers here seriously read the mind of Bengali voters, 30 percent non-Bengali voters here also play a vital role in ascertaining the fate of the candidates. It may be noted here that Mr Bhattacharya fought well in 2011, but all political forces were against him then, including Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung.
Significantly, Mr Gurung had publicly extended support to Mr Bhattacharya, who was elected again from Siliguri, before the Assembly polls in 2016, following the Hill leader’s souring relations with Mamata Banerjee on several issues related to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. There are around 5,000 Nepalispeaking voters in the Siliguri Assembly constituency. According to the former Siliguri organisational district BJP president, Nipen Das, 70 percent Bengali-speaking people live in Siliguri and 30 percent belong to the other communities, including Marwari and Bihari.
“Following the Modi wave, a majority of the non-Bengali people are in favour of the BJP here, though interestingly, Nantu Paul has decided to bag votes from the non-Bengali community by printing his poll banners in Hindi language,” another observer said.
However, Trinamul Congress leaders are also expecting votes from the Nepalispeaking people, who are still supporters of Bimal Gurung, as the relationship between the GJMM leader and Mamata Banerjee has revived after Mr Gurung quit the NDA last year. Also, very interestingly, both the BJP and CPIM leaders are expecting support from the Gorkha voters in Siliguri. Political observers here further point an example in reference with the resignation letter of former CPIM leader, Shankar Ghosh, who is contesting here on a BJP ticket.
Mr Ghosh had questioned why the CPIM leadership was reluctant to protest against the state government and its decision to allow Bimal Gurung, who has several court cases against him, to move freely with the help of the police ahead of the elections.
The state government has withdrawn many cases against him, but not the murder case in connection with the death of a police officer, and cases under the UAPA. On the other hand, in a press note, the state BJP has clarified that a petitioner, who filed a PIL in the Calcutta High Court against the state’s decision to withdraw cases against Mr Gurung, was not associated with the BJP.
Political observers here point to the role of the Election Commission of India and say that political parties hav kept open an avenue when it comes to seeking support from the Gorkha people belonging to the Gurung faction of the Morcha in the Terai, including Siliguri and the Dooars and even the Hills.
On the question of the last laugh in Siliguri, veteran BJP leaders and workers, including followers of Suvendu Adhikari here, are also not confident of Shankar Ghosh’s win against his political mentor Asok Bhattacharya. “Only the Modi jhar (wave) after the Prime Minister’s campaigning can save face of the BJP candidate here,” an observer said.