News Analysis India

Tag: West Bengal assembly election

  • Half of BJP’s seats in West Bengal came from Dalit dominated constituencies

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Half of BJP’s final tally of 77 seats in the West Bengal Assembly elections came in constituencies reserved for the Dalits. The state has 84 constituencies reserved for SC and ST candidates and the saffron camp won 38 of these.

    Among the Dalit seats bagged by the BJP, 18 are located in north Bengal, where the BJP had made deep inroads in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. BJP won 31 seats dominated by the SCs and seven seats dominated by STs.

    Many of the seats are dominated by Matuas, a Hindu religious sect comprising those who had migrated from Bangladesh. They were promised citizenship by implementing the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which West Bengal chief minister Manata Banerjee is strongly opposing.

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    “We won 10 seats among the reserved category where Matuas are a deciding factor. We promised these sections of Hindu refugees citizenship before the 2019 general elections which could not be implemented because of Covid-19. Before this Assembly election, we again made the same promise and Matuas decided to keep their faith in us,” said a senior BJP leader in Bengal.

    The Matua-dominated constituencies won by the BJP are Gazole in Malda, Krishnaganj, Ranaghat (South), Ranaghat (North-East), Kalyani and Haninghata in Nadia and Bagda, Bongaon (North), Bongaon (South) and Gaighata in North 24 Parganas.

    The saffron camp seems to have managed to retain its Dalit vote-bank in the north Bengal region where the Rajbanshi community forms a considerable chunk of the electorate.     

    The Dalits, however, in Junglemahal, comprising Purulia, Jhargram, West Midnapore and parts of Bakura districts, rejected the saffron camp. The BJP bagged victory in only three of the 12 Dalit-dominated seats.

    “In 2019, we secured a thumping victory in Junglemahal. Dalits supported us en bloc. But in this Assembly election, we received a massive jolt in this region. Electorates in non-reserved seats, too, did not accept the BJP. In the 40 Assembly constituencies, we won in 14 only,” said the BJP leader.

    The leader pointed out that the BJP’s CAA narrative proved double-edged.

    “Where the Matuas and Rajbanshis supported us on the citizenship issue, the Dalits in the backward region of Junglemahal did not. The TMC’s campaign opposing the CAA managed to win the poor Dalits, who were scared of the citizenship act as most of them do not possess basic documents other than the Epic Card,” he said. 

  • Covid norms: Poll body files FIR against 13 candidates 

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  The Election Commission of India (ECI) lodged an FIR against 13 candidates for allegedly flouting Covid-19 safety protocols and served a show-cause notice to 33 others contesting in the remaining seventh and eighth phases of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

    The Commission swung into action after its full bench held a virtual meeting on Friday and directed to deal strictly with the situation. A day before, the Calcutta High Court had criticised the Commission saying it was doing nothing other than issuing notifications. ‘’First, show-cause notices have been served to 33 candidates. If the officers are not satisfied with the reply to the notice, they must lodge an FIR against the offenders.

    The officers must also send a compliance report to the Commission,’’ said an official of the poll panel. The Commission decided to lodge an FIR for flouting Covid-19 safety protocols under the Epidemic Disaster Act and IPC section 188, which deals with disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant.

    In the virtual meeting, officials in the district and the chief electoral officer were asked why enough steps were not taken against candidates and political workers for violating Covid-19 guidelines. While hearing three PILs seeking enforcement of Covid-19 protocol, a division bench of the Calcutta High court said on Thursday, “The EC is just passing circulars and leaving it to the people.’’

  • Bengal polls: BJP candidate’s car vandalised, three held

    By PTI
    KESHPUR: BJP candidate from Keshpur assembly constituency Tanmay Ghosh’s vehicle was on Thursday vandalised allegedly by supporters of the Trinamool Congress, police said.

    Three persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, they said.

    An unidentified group of people attacked Ghosh’s vehicle with bricks and bamboo sticks, and also vandalised cars of media personnel, a police officer said.

    A team of central forces have reached the spot, an Election Commission official said.

    The EC has also sought a report from the administration.

    A TMC worker identified as Uttam Dolui was stabbed to death late last night in Keshpur area in Paschim Medinipur district, hours before polling started in the area.

    Voting is underway in 30 constituencies of West Bengal, including the high-profile Nandigram seat, in the second phase of the West Bengal assembly elections.