West Bengal’s Monteswar seat delivered a seismic shock as BJP’s Saikat Panja scripted a remarkable comeback, defeating TMC stalwart and ex-Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury by 14,798 votes. With 96,559 votes against Chowdhury’s 81,761, Panja turned the tables on his 2021 nemesis.
This rural enclave in Purba Bardhaman, reconfigured post-2009 delimitation into Bardhaman-Durgapur LS turf, embodies gritty electoral battles. Panja, who triumphed here as a TMC candidate in the 2016 bypoll before defecting to BJP, faced a triangular fight last time but bounced back stronger.
Chowdhury, 76, a post-graduate with assets worth 1.8 crore and no liabilities, couldn’t hold fort against Panja’s surge. CPI(M)’s Ghosh trailed with 18,192 votes.
Monteswar’s political legacy spans seven decades: Left’s 11 triumphs, TMC and Congress at three each, one independent. Voter demographics—32% Muslims, nearly 24% SCs, 8% STs—amid rising rolls from 233,450 in 2019 to 242,229 in 2021, fuel intense campaigns.
Nestled in Bardhaman’s lush fields, the area relies on Damodar irrigation and Bhagirathi flows for rice, jute, oilseeds, veggies, dairy, and petty commerce. Connectivity via roads to nearby towns, trains from Memari and Nigan, schools, and rural health setups show gradual progress.
From British gazetteers noting its police role to participation in Swadeshi agitations, Monteswar’s past is rich. Proximity to district HQ (40 km) and Kolkata (110 km) enhances its connectivity with bordering districts.
This upset erodes TMC’s rural grip, highlighting BJP’s inroads through defectors like Panja. As celebrations erupt, questions loom on Chowdhury’s future and TMC’s strategy recalibration in such pockets.
