Bengal bypolls: All eyes on R G Kar ‘effect’, little sign of CPM, Congress or their alliance in 6 seats

While Sitai (SC-reserved), Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur and Taldangra were won by the TMC successful 2021, the BJP was victorious successful Madarihat (ST). In the seats won by the TMC, the BJP was the runner-up successful four, portion the TMC stood 2nd successful Madarihat.

“This is the archetypal ballot aft the R G Kar rape and murder. Don’t you privation to instrumentality revenge?” Leader of the Opposition and BJP person Suvendu Adhikari has been telling voters, adding that a alteration of authorities successful West Bengal is the lone mode to guarantee justness for the infirmary battle victim.

BJP person Suvendu Adhikari. (File Photo)

TMC person Kunal Ghosh has accused the BJP of dragging successful issues with nary relevance to the elections. “The Assembly polls volition beryllium held connected the contented of development. People volition spot who tin guarantee improvement and volition ballot accordingly,” Ghosh said, adding that the TMC could besides rise incidents of intersexual battle specified arsenic successful Unnao and Hathras successful Uttar Pradesh arsenic good arsenic others successful Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, arsenic a counter. These are each BJP-ruled states.

“Basically, the BJP knows they volition not win. So they are shouting astir R G Kar,” said Ghosh.

Apart from winning 5 of the six Assembly seats up for bypolls, successful the 2021 elections, the TMC besides dominated the overlapping Lok Sabha constituencies this year. Only successful 2 Assembly segments, of Madarihat and Medinipur, was the BJP ahead, by 9,000 and 11,000 votes, respectively.

The BJP is hoping that the choler reflected successful the month-long R G Kar protests volition present enactment it implicit the finishing enactment successful Medinipur and Madarihat.

A elder TMC person said this was wishful thinking. “The R G Kar protests tarnished our image, but our ballot machinery remains intact. Plus, successful a bypoll, the ruling enactment ever has an advantage.”

Fighting charges of corruption, the TMC has fielded fashionable section faces, seen arsenic having a cleanable image, for the bypolls. The BJP has likewise gone successful for section faces, though 2 of them joined the enactment from the Left.

The 2 parties are successful the heavy of the campaign, with the 2nd enactment of TMC leadership, specified arsenic ministers Sujit Bose, Firhad Hakim and Chandrima Bhattacharya, starring the charge. Their main plank is the TMC government’s fashionable payment schemes specified arsenic Lakshmir Bhandar, Kanyasree, Yuvasree etc.

From the BJP side, the main look is again Adhikari, with authorities president Sukanta Majumder pitching in. Their plank is the alleged rising corruption and worsening instrumentality and bid nether the TMC government.

The Left and Congress, connected the different hand, person failed to make immoderate momentum for the bypolls, including holding their conjugation together. While 5 seats person Left Front candidates, it is backing state Indian Secular Front nominee successful the sixth. The Congress is separately contesting successful each the six seats.

In 2021, erstwhile the Left and Congress contested unneurotic and failed to triumph a azygous Assembly seat, their candidates got 1.66% votes successful Sitai, 10.11% successful Naihati, 5.43% successful Medinipur, 11.41% successful Taldangra, and 4.24% successful Madarihat.

Left leaders accidental their candidates whitethorn not beryllium disposable similar the BJP oregon TMC’s, but are concentrating connected house-to-house campaigns. A elder CPI(M) person said: “We cognize we volition not win, but we privation to spot if determination has been a emergence successful our ballot percent station the R G Kar movement.”