The two districts have traditionally been strong bastions of the Congress, where the legacies of Congress leaders the late ABA Gani Khan Chowdhury in Malda, and Adhir Chowdhury in Murshidabad, continue to hold sway. Even during the 34-year reign of the CPI(M), the Congress maintained its footing in these two districts, and won a majority of the seats, be it in the Lok Sabha or the Vidhan Sabha.
However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the 2021 Assembly elections, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC won many seats in these districts, with even the BJP opening its account.
The churn began after Khagen Murmu, the former CPI(M) MLA of Habibpur, joined the BJP before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and won the Maldah Uttar seat. While the Congress retained Maldah Dakshin, both seats in Murshidabad district — Jangipur and Murshidabad — went to the TMC.
This time, the TMC has nominated former IPS officer Prasun Banerjee against Khagen Murmu. Banerjee says, “In this election, there is no Modi wave. People will vote for development, and not only will I win, the INDIA bloc will also form the government at the Centre.” That is an interesting comment from a leader whose party walked out of the INDIA alliance talks, and where only the top leadership talks about such things.
Murmu says, “The TMC’s only agenda is to grab the people’s money to line its own pockets. People now understand this, and will give them a befitting reply.”
In Murshidabad, the CPI(M) has fielded its state secretary Md. Salim in the hope of regaining the seat from the TMC. Salim faces the TMC’s sitting MP, Abu Taher Khan. The BJP has fielded Gouri Shankar Ghosh.
Regarding the Muslim-majority Murshidabad, Salim says, “Muslims now realise the TMC has basically fooled them. They also understand that only the CPI(M) is fighting for their rights, food and employment.”
Like Murshidabad, the Left-Congress alliance is hoping to retain the Maldah Dakshin seat. In 2019, Abu Hashem Khan Chowdhury, the younger brother of A B A Gani Khan Chowdhury, won the seat for the Congress. This time, the party has given the ticket to his son Isha Khan Chowdhury. The BJP has fielded activist Sreerupa Mitra-Chowdhury, better known as “Nirbhaya Didi”, while the TMC has nominated Oxford University scholar Shahnawaz Ali Raihan.
Mitra-Chowdhury claims, “Modiji and BJP stand for inclusive growth, whereas the TMC has always tried to divide society.”
The TMC’s Raihan says, “People know who is indulging in divisive politics across India. Because of this, the TMC will win from Maldah.”
In 2019, the TMC’s Khalilur Rahaman had emerged victorious from Jangipur Lok Sabha constituency. This time, he is competing against the BJP’s Dhananjay Ghosh and the Congress’s Murtuza Hossain Bokul. The Furfura Sharif-based Indian Secular Front (ISF) is making a debut in this seat, with Sahajahan Biswas as its candidate.