CPM fields candidate for Raiganj Assembly seat after 25 years; cadres 'fully charged'
Telegraph | 18 March 2026
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) will contest from the Raiganj Assembly seat after a gap of 25 years.
It was in 2001 that the CPM last fielded a candidate in Raiganj.
Despite the party’s declining vote share in recent elections, which led many to not consider the CPM as a principal contender in the seat, cadres across age groups appear highly motivated now.
From youth workers to senior members, the party base is “fully charged” about fighting the election independently.
Soon after the candidate list was announced on Monday, CPM workers took to the streets with nominee Jibananda Singha, initiating wall-writing campaigns in various parts of the town.
They also began outreach efforts, interacting with residents and local business owners.
The CPM workers also expressed a strong sense of emotional connection, stating that contesting on their own symbol — the hammer, sickle, and star — gives them a “homely feeling”.
“For the sake of a political alliance, we were deprived of a contest on our own symbol in the past 25 years. This time, we will give our all for our symbol,” said Shyamal Sarkar, a CPM worker in his sixties.
Shantanu Adhikari, a CPM leader based in the town, said they had “grown tired” campaigning for other symbols.
“Now it finally feels like we are fighting for ourselves. This feeling is what is energising us”, he said.
Sources said Harinarayan Roy had contested on CPM’s ticket from Raiganj in 2001 and lost the election.
Since then, the party has not fielded any candidate in the seat. In 2006, the CPM joined hands with the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party). Dilip Das, the Trinamool candidate, had won from the seat.
In 2011, Left Front fielded former minister Kiranmoy Nanda, a leader of the Samajwadi Party, which was an LF constituent then. Nanda lost to the Congress.
In 2016 and 2021, the CPM joined hands with the Congress and backed Mohit Sengupta, a veteran Congress leader and a former MLA from the town. Sengupta could win in 2016 but lost to the BJP’s Krishna Kalyani in 2021.
Later, Kalyani defected to the Trinamool Congress and is the sitting MLA now. He is contesting on a Trinamool ticket this time.
“Ahead of the elections, as the state Congress leadership announced that the party would contest alone, the CPM and other constituents of the Left Front decided to go ahead. That is why the party has fielded a candidate in Raiganj after a gap of 25 years,” said a political observer.
Singha, the CPM candidate, said he has been campaigning since yesterday, shortly after his name was announced.
“After a long time, we are contesting on our own symbol. From the very first day, many senior workers and supporters have taken to the streets to campaign. We are hopeful about the seat,” he said.