Kolkata: As West Bengal goes to the second round of polling on Wednesday, the fate of 142 candidates hangs in the balance across its political heartland — deciding if TMC retains its southern stronghold or BJP breaks through to Nabanna.
In 2021, TMC dominated these 142 seats with a whopping 123 wins, leaving BJP with just 18 and ISF with a lone victory, thereby, setting up a fierce bid for TMC’s southern supremacy.
Key Constituencies
Bhabanipur stands at the epicentre, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee confronts BJP Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in what locals term the “mother of all electoral contests.” This symbolic showdown marks TMC’s psychological frontline.
In Panihati, the unresolved RG Kar rape-murder case casts a long shadow. BJP has fielded Ratna Debnath — the victim’s mother — against TMC’s Kalatan Dasgupta, turning grief into a fierce political flashpoint.
Kolkata Port descends into a four-cornered contest from where TMC Mayor Firhad Hakim is seeking a third consecutive win over BJP’s Rakesh Singh, Congress’s Aquib Gulzar, and CPI(M)’s Faiyaz Ahmad Khan. A Special Intensive Revision has slashed voter rolls, injecting fresh uncertainty.
Bhangar promises the wildest ride, boasting 19 candidates including ISF MLA Nawsad Siddiqui — the phase’s undisputed thriller.
Rounding out the hotspots are Bhatpara, Jagatdal, Barrackpur, Bangaon, Dumdum, Sandeshkhali, Hingalganj, Ranaghat Uttar and Dakshin, Rashbehari, Jadavpur, and Ballygunge.
Prominent Candidates
TMC is fielding heavyweights like Sujit Bose in Bidhannagar, Jyoti Priya Mallick in Habra, Bratya Basu in Dum Dum, and Sovandeb Chattopadhyay in Ballygunge. BJP counters with Arjun Singh in Noapara, Swapan Dasgupta in Rashbehari, Rudranil Ghosh in Shibpur.
In 2021, TMC crushed it comprehensively by winning every one of Kolkata’s 11 seats, all 16 in Howrah, 30 of 31 in South 24 Parganas, 28 of 33 in North 24 Parganas, 14 of 18 in Hooghly and 8 of 17 in Nadia. BJP’s breakthroughs in North 24 Parganas and Nadia rode Matua and refugee waves, citizenship clashes, and anti-incumbency tides.
