News Analysis India

Tag: Bengal bypoll

  • Dinhata bypoll: BJP faces acid test at its stronghold in north Bengal

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA:  As the BJP suffered a jolt in its north Bengal stronghold after two of its MLAs joined the ruling Trinamool Congress, the Dinhata Assembly bypoll will be an acid test for the saffron camp. 

    In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP MP from Cooch Behar Nisith Pramanik, who contested in the recent Assembly elections, won merely by 57 votes in Dinhata.

    Understandably, the TMC is waiting to breach the opposition’s citadel.  

    ‘’Our party had a slender victory in Dinhata and now if we fail to retain the seat in Cooch Behar, it will deliver a negative message to the electorates across the state, which will definitely have a negative impact on all municipal and panchayat elections in the state. This why the Dinhata bypoll is an acid test,’’ said a BJP leader.

    Udayan Guha of  the TMC will take on BJP’s Ashok Mondol in the October 30 bypoll. The seat fell vacant after Pramanick was elevated as a union minister in Delhi.

    Incidentally, Guha is the son of Forward Bloc leader Kamal Guha, who had strong influence among the electorate of Cooch Behar. 

    The TMC candidate is no pushover as he was elected as a Forward Bloc candidate from the constituency in the 2011 bengal Assembly elections and re-elected as a Trinamool MLA in 2016. 

    The BJP, however, is counting on Trinamool’s intra-party feud for retaining the seat.

    “Cooch Behar sprung a surprise as the electorate elected Pramanik as MP and seven of our nine MLAs. People of Dinhata will not disappoint us,’’ said a BJP leader.

    But, the TMC claims to have revived its organisation in the north Bengal district. 

    “People of Dinhata elected BJP’s Pramanik who shunned them by deciding not to continue as the MLA of the constituency. They will not vote for the saffron party this time,” asserted a TMC leader.

    WHY DINHATA IS IMPORTANT

    Dinhata is a battle of prestige for the BJP because it falls in North Bengal, which is considered a stronghold area of the saffron party.

    In the 2019 general elections, the BJP won here 18 Lok Sabha constituencies in the eastern state. Moreover, Junior home minister Nisith Pramanik comes from this part of West Bengal.

  • Calcutta HC dismisses petition on Bhawanipore bypoll, to be held as scheduled

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition on the by-election to the Bhawanipore Assembly seat, ordering that polls will be held as scheduled on September 30.

    A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice R Bharadwaj said that it was inappropriate on the part of the West Bengal chief secretary to have written such a letter in which he had appealed to the election commission for holding the by-election at Bhawanipore.

    The court dismissed the PIL in which the language used to seek the bypoll was challenged. The chief secretary had in the letter said that a “constitutional crisis” would occur if the by-election to Bhawanipore was not held.

    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting from the Bhawanipore seat.

  • Bhawanipore bypoll: BJP demands Section 144, deployment of central forces for polling day

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: A BJP delegation met the West Bengal chief electoral officer on Monday and demanded deployment of central paramilitary forces at every polling booth and promulgation of Section 144 Cr PC in Bhawanipore constituency in the city during the by-poll on September 30 in view of the alleged attack on party leaders during the day and earlier.

    The BJP delegation also demanded that the CEO Aarif Aftab disallow Kolkata Police from having direct control to maintain law and order in the constituency on the polling day to ensure free and fair poll.

    Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta, who led the delegation, told reporters the BJP delegation informed the CEO how the party’s Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh was heckled near Hanuman Mandir in Bhawanipore during the day and had to return without campaigning. “In a second incident, our former state president Dilip Ghosh was attacked by the same people who enjoyed the patronage of a family in the area. We have reported it to the CEO,” he said.

    ALSO READ| Poll campaigning comes to an end in Bengal amid scuffles between Trinamool, BJP

    Campaigning for the by-poll, in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a candidate, came to an end on Monday and was marked by rising of political temperatures.

    The BJP MP said it was seen whenever there is a possibility of high voter turnout, the TMC resorts to such terror tactics. “We therefore urged the CEO to ensure that central forces are deployed in each booth and section 144 CRPC is enforced in the entire constituency,” he said.

    Asked about Ghosh’s demand for countermanding the by-poll in Bhawanipore, Dasgupta said “We want free and fair polls. What Dilip Ghosh said about countermanding Bhawanipore by-poll till the situation in the constituency returns to normal is based on his apprehension and real perception about the scope of holding free and fair polls.”

    “We want the Election Commission to take steps to instill confidence among people about holding elections without fear. We asked the chief electoral officer to see that the Kolkata Police is not in direct charge of holding polls,” he said.

    BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh was on Monday pushed and heckled by alleged TMC supporters, prompting his security officer to whip out a pistol in Bhawanipore assembly constituency. The EC sought a report on the incident from the state.

    Party MP Arjun Singh faced ‘go-back’ slogans from the ruling TMC workers while soliciting votes for party candidate Pryanka Tibrewal. The incident involving Ghosh occurred when he inside a vaccination camp in Jodubabur Bazaar area in the constituency.

    ALSO READ| BJP’s Dilip Ghosh pushed and heckled in Bhowanipore by alleged TMC workers, EC seeks report

    TMC supporters present at the spot shouted slogans demanding that he leave, alleging that he was campaigning at a state-run vaccination programme which was not permitted. Ghosh was whisked away by his security guards.

    He later alleged TMC supporters “attacked” him without provocation and injured a BJP activist. Dasgupta said the CEO’s office was asked to ensure live streaming through weblink of the entire constituency for immediate action by central forces.

  • Bhabanipur bypoll: War of words erupt between Firhad Hakim & BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: A war of words on Sunday broke out between Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim and Priyanka Tibrewal, the BJP candidate from the Bhabanipur seat after Hakim said she is a young girl who has been pushed to fight against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the September 30 by-election.

    Tibrewal had joined BJP few years back and unsuccessfully contested from the Entally seat in last assembly polls. She is a lawyer who flagged alleged attacks on her party activists after the polls in court cases.

    Asked to comment on Hakim’s comments, Tibrewal told reporters while out campaigining, “A young girl doesn’t forever remain a young girl, a ‘bachha’ (child). She grows up to face challenges. Obviously my rival Mamata Banerjee and her party campaigner Firhad Hakim are much older than me in age. But I am here to fight the battle, to save democracy, to save people from terror of Trinamool.”

    Hakim told reporters a day before, “Priyanka Tibrewal is a young girl. She had been defeated earlier in Entally. With no senior BJP functionary ready to contest against Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur, they have pushed this young girl into the battlefield.”

    “My sympathy for Priyanka Tibrewal as she will suffer a crushing defeat. But cannot help as Mamata Banerjee is in the hearts of people of Bhabanipur,” Hakim said with a touch of sarcasm.

  • Bhowanipore bypoll: War of words erupt between Firhad Hakim & BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: A war of words on Sunday broke out between Trinamool Congress leader Firhad Hakim and Priyanka Tibrewal, the BJP candidate from the Bhowanipore seat after Hakim said she is a young girl who has been pushed to fight against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the September 30 by-election.

    Tibrewal had joined BJP few years back and unsuccessfully contested from the Entally seat in last assembly polls. She is a lawyer who flagged alleged attacks on her party activists after the polls in court cases.

    Asked to comment on Hakim’s comments, Tibrewal told reporters while out campaigining, “A young girl doesn’t forever remain a young girl, a ‘bachha’ (child). She grows up to face challenges. Obviously my rival Mamata Banerjee and her party campaigner Firhad Hakim are much older than me in age. But I am here to fight the battle, to save democracy, to save people from terror of Trinamool.”

    Hakim told reporters a day before, “Priyanka Tibrewal is a young girl. She had been defeated earlier in Entally. With no senior BJP functionary ready to contest against Mamata Banerjee in Bhowanipore, they have pushed this young girl into the battlefield.”

    “My sympathy for Priyanka Tibrewal as she will suffer a crushing defeat. But cannot help as Mamata Banerjee is in the hearts of people of Bhowanipore,” Hakim said with a touch of sarcasm.