Stage set for third phase Lok Sabha poll in five Bengal seats
Kolkata, Apr 22 : The fate of 61 candidates would be decided tomorrow with five Bengal constituencies of Balurghat, Maldaha Uttar, Maldaha Dakshin, Jangipur and Murshidabad going to poll in the third of the seven-phase election under a massive security blanket.
An electorate of 8,023,846 will decide the fate of 61 candidates in these parliamentary constituencies.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Indian National Congress (INC) and the Left Front (except Maldaha Dakshin) have fielded their candidates in all the five constituencies.
There was high pitch campaigning for the five seats by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, BJP national president Amit Shah and top leaders of the Congress and Left parties.
The high-pitched campaign was mainly polarised between Banerjee and Modi.
Issues ranging from corruption to communalism, NRC to chitfund scams, and development to security featured in the speeches of the warring party leaders.
The TMC called upon the people to defeat the Modi government while the Prime Minister urged voters to exercise their franchise in his party’s favour.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission will deploy a total of 324 companies of central forces, which will cover over 92 per cent of the polling booths in the five Lok Sabha constituencies, to ensure free and fair polling, a senior election official said.
Besides general election observers and expenditure observers, the poll panel has for the first time deployed a special police observer.
In Balurghat, there are thirteen contestants, including those from the mainstream parties such as TMC, BJP, RSP and Congress, but the main fight will be between TMC and BJP.
There are only two woman candidate in the fray in Balurghat constituency
In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidates Arpita Ghosh defeated Revolutionary Socialist Party’s (RSP) Bimalendu Sarkar to break the Left party’s hold over this parliamentary constituency.
The Revolutionary Socialist Party had held the seat, reserved for members of Scheduled Caste communities till 2009, from 1977.
The ruling TMC has fielded Arpita Ghosh from this constituency once again who is pitted against RSP candidate Ranen Barman, BJP candidate Sukanta Mujumdar and INC candidate Abdus Sadeq Sarkar.
As per the Election Commission data in 2019, total number of electorate in Balurghat Lok Sabha seat is 14, 29, 783 of which 7, 35, 851 are male, 6, 93, 876 female and 56 third genders voters. A total number of 1530 polling stations would be set up for voting.
In Maldaha Uttar, there are sixteen contestants, including those from the mainstream parties such as TMC, BJP, CPI (M) and Congress, but the main fight will be between TMC and Congress.
There are only two woman candidate in the fray in Maldaha Uttar constituency.
In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Congress candidates Mausam Noor defeated her nearest CPI(M) opponent Khagen Murmu by a margin of 65, 705 votes.
The Congress this time has fielded Isha Khan Chowdhury, son of sitting Maldaha Dakshin MP Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury from this Maldaha Uttar constituency who is pitted against, TMC candidate and sitting MP Mausam Noor, CPI(M) candidate Biswanath Ghosh and BJP candidate Khagen Murmu.
As per the Election Commission data in 2019, total number of electorate in Maldaha Uttar Lok Sabha seat is 16, 83, 797 of which 8, 63, 317 are male, 8, 20, 427 female and 53 third genders voters.
A total number of 1713 polling stations would be set up for voting.
In Maldaha Dakshin, there are ten contestants, including those from the mainstream parties such as TMC, BJP and Congress, but the main fight will be between TMC and Congress.
There is only one woman candidate in the fray in Maldaha Dakshin constituency.
In the previous Lok Sabha elections, Congress candidates Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury defeated his nearest BJP opponent Bisnu Pada Roy by 1,64,111 votes.
The Congress has fielded Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury from this constituency once again who is pitted against, ruling TMC candidate Dr. Moazzem Hossain, BJP candidate Sreerupa Mitra Choudhury.
The CPI (M) has not fielded its candidate for this constituency.
As per the Election Commission data in 2019, total number of electorate in Maldaha Dakshin Lok Sabha seat is 15, 73, 433 of which 8, 00, 475 are male, 7, 72, 924 female and 34 third genders voters.
A total number of 1616 polling stations would be set up for voting.
In Jangipur, there are eleven contestants, including those from the mainstream parties such as TMC, BJP and CPI (M) Congress, but the main fight will be between TMC and Congress.
There is only one woman candidate in the fray in Jangipur constituency.
The incumbent parliamentarian, representing the constituency is from Congress – Abhijit Mukherjee emerged victorious in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections by defeating the CPI(M) candidate – Muzaffar Hossain by a margin of 8,161 votes.
The Congress has fielded Abhijit Mukherjee from this constituency once again, BJP has fielded Mafuza Khatun, CPI(M) has given the ticket to Zulfiqar Ali and TMC has fielded Khalilur Rahaman.
Mahfuza Khatun left the CPI (M) and joined BJP recently.
As per the Election Commission data in 2019, total number of electorate in Jangipur Lok Sabha seat is 16, 14, 081 of which 8, 24, 119 are male, 7, 89, 921 female and 41 third genders voters.
A total number of 1762 polling stations would be set up for voting.
In Murshidabad, there are eleven contestants, including those from the mainstream parties such as TMC, BJP, CPI (M) and Congress are in the fray, but the main fight will be between TMC and CPI (M).
There is no woman candidate in the fray in Murshidabad constituency.
The incumbent parliamentarian, representing the constituency is from CPI(M)– Badaruddoza Khan emerged victorious in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections by defeating the Congress candidate – Abdul Mannan Hossain by a margin of 18, 453 votes.
The CPI(M) has retained its candidate for this elections. To defeat the current MP in the Lok Sabha elections 2019, AITC has fielded Janab Abu Taher, while Congress has announced Abu Hena against Chowdhury as their candidate.
BJP has fielded Humayun Kabir as its candidate for Murshidabad seat.
As per the Election Commission data in 2019, total number of electorate in Murshidabad Lok Sabha seat is 17, 22, 752 of which 8, 82, 248 are male, 8, 40, 476 female and 28 third genders voters.
A total number of 1907 polling stations would be set up for voting.
UNI.