In Barrackpore, flip-flop Arjun & min Partha in slog-over battle of nerves
Times of India | 19 May 2024
BARRACKPORE: The poll pitch in Barrackpore is set for a tough fight. BJP strongman Arjun Singh's political flip-flop since the last Lok Sabha appears to have dented his unassailable image and given his opponent Partha Bhowmick of TMC more than a fighting chance to wrest the seat from BJP.
Singh had switched from Trinamool Congress to BJP ahead of the 2019 LS polls before returning to TMC in 2022, after the 2021 assembly election.He returned to BJP ahead of this parliamentary election.
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At Naihati, barely 6 km from Singh's Bhatpara residence, Bhowmick was busy planning his schedule for the day. Known for his organisational skills, Bhomick managed to enthuse the partymen and worked hard to untangle issues that had hindered TMC in 2019. And the team reaped rich dividends in the assembly polls in 2021 when of the seven assembly seats in the Barrackpore constituency, BJP won only one - Bhatpara, where Singh's son Pawan had contested. The other six seats went to TMC.
Opposite the Naihati municipality office, a large poster featured a caricature of "turncoat Arjun". "It was Mukulda (Roy) first and then Arjun Singh who joined BJP in 2019. Voters in all of the 1,592 booths in Barrackpore have identified the opportunist now," said Bhowmick.
"Singh has lost his credibility as a politician after he switched sides thrice in the past six years. During his stint in the BJP, Barrackpore hit headlines regularly for violence and murders. People don't want violence. They don't want goons," Bhowmick said.
Popular for his role as inspector Karali in the OTT series "Abar Proloy", Bhowmick has launched a hello tune on mobile phones for the Barrackpore voters two weeks ago. Over a fortnight, it was downloaded by 2 lakh subscribers, he claimed.
Recognising that he has a fight on his hands, Singh is leaving no stones unturned. In the past fortnight, he has walked more than 20 km a day, trying to connect with as many voters as he can.
"I am a Bengali by heart and we have been staying in Bengal for 140 years," said Singh, who is facing a Bengali-non Bengali debate in a constituency where more than one-third of the population is Hindi-speaking.
"This was a Left stronghold once. Tarit da (Topdar), Tiger da (Dilip Samaddar, two-time chairman Barrackpore municipality) used to have the last word here," said a local.
The Left-Congress combine has seen its vote share coming down to 7.5% in 2021 in the seven assembly segments. The Left has pitched actor Debdut Ghosh, who has campaigned extensively over the past one month.