Kolkata: One political party emphasized their efforts to improve the living conditions of community, while another party promised to create jobs to stop migration of another community.
An Anglo-Indian enclave, the country’s oldest Chinatown, a neighbourhood famous for its Ramzan delicacies and one of the biggest settlements of the business community are all housed in Kolkata North, one of the most cosmopolitan Lok Sabha segments in the state, which will go to polls on Saturday.A diverse population, with people from almost all parts of the country, lives in this constituency, which boasts of iconic temples, mosques and churches, along with College Street Boipara, Coffee House and Marble Palace. Candidates from the seat adopted various strategies to woo the communities that have made this area their home.
The Mamata Banerjee govt fulfilled the Anglo Indians’ long-standing demand to renovate and revamp Bow Barracks, which had been in a shambles. “The Left Front govt not only ignored their demands but also threatened the residents to evacuate them. But the compassionate govt of Mamata Banerjee promised that the residents would not be removed and also overhauled the houses and improved the infrastructure there,” said Chowringhee Trinamool MLA Nayna Bandyopadhyay, who campaigned for Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Trinamool’s candidate from Kolkata North.
Kolkata North houses large wholesale markets and hub of fruits, flowers, spices and grains at Posta, Burrabazar, Rabindra Sarani, Canning Street, Chandni, and MG Road. Kolkata North’s BJP candidate Tapas Roy has been a regular to Posta and Burrabazar, reaching out to the business community. “Traders here face problems owing to illegal parking and encroachments. I promised to resolve this issue. Residents also complain about noise pollution and lack of greenery,” said Roy, who has promised better infrastructure.
All the parties, be it the Trinamool, BJP or the Left-Congress combine, have been courting the Muslim community, which forms almost 35% of the electorate in this constituency. While Roy held multiple street-corner meetings on Zakaria Street, Madan Mohan Burman Street and Entally, where the community members live in large numbers, Trinamool functionaries reiterated that CM Banerjee would “not allow CAA and NRC in Bengal”.
The parties also visited the country’s oldest Chinatown near Poddar Court. “We assured residents of safety when some tried to scare them during tensions at the border with China a few years ago,” said a Trinamool councillor. All candidates promised to create jobs to stop their migration.