Stage set for second phase Lok Sabha poll in three North Bengal seats
Kolkata, Apr 17 : The fate of 42 candidates would be decided tomorrow with three North Bengal constituencies of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Raigunj going to poll in the second of the seven-phase election under a massive security blanket.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Indian National Congress (INC) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have fielded their candidates in all the constituencies.
In Jalpaiguri, there are twelve contestants, including those from the mainstream parties such as AITC, BJP, CPI (M) and Congress, but the main fight will be between TMC and BJP.
Reserved for Scheduled Caste candidate, the CPI (M) won the Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha seat thrice in the last four elections.
Minati Sen of the CPI (M) won the seat in 1999 and 2004 elections.
Mahendra Kumar Roy won the seat in 2009 before losing to AITC candidate Bijoy Chandra Barman in 2014 election.
Mr Barman defeated sitting Member of Parliament Mahendra Kumar Roy of the CPI(M) in 2014 election.
AITC this time fielded the same candidate – Bijoy Chandra Barman – for this seat.
To defeat the current MP in this Lok Sabha election, the BJP fielded Dr Jayanta Ray, while the CPI(M) fielded Bhagirath Roy and the Congress Mani Kumar Darnal from Jalpaiguri seat.
Total electorate in Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha seat are 17,29,829 of which 8,84,565 are male, 8,45,245 female and 19 third genders voters.
A total number of 1868 polling stations have been set up for voting.
As per order of the Delimitation Commission in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in West Bengal, parliamentary constituency no. 3 Jalpaiguri, reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC), is
composed of the Assembly segments such as Mekliganj (SC), Dhupguri (SC), Maynaguri (SC), Jalpaiguri (SC), Rajganj (SC), Dabgram-Phulbari and Mal (ST).
(UNI)