‘Thakurbari family battle’ in Bagdah as sisters-in-law get ready to cross poll swords
Times of India | 1 April 2026
Kolkata: Come April 29, Bagdah will see a family poll battle, with BJP naming Soma Thakur as its candidate. Soma, wife of Union minister and Bongaon MP Shantanu Thakur, will lock horns with sister-in-law Madhuparna Thakur — Bagdah TMC MLA and daughter of Rajya Sabha member Mamata Bala Thakur.
Two members of the Thakurbari family — which sits at the Matua spiritual centre — were last pitted against one another in 2019 Lok Sabha election when Shantanu and Mamata Bala vied for the Bongaon seat.
Another member of the clan, Shantanu's brother and MLA Subrata Thakur, will again seek a mandate from Gaighata.
Bagdah has always been witness to intense political competition. In the 2021 polls, BJP's Biswajit Das won the seat by a huge margin but later defected to TMC.
Das later contested the Lok Sabha polls, albeit unsuccessfully. TMC nominated Madhuparna in the bypolls and has once again reposed faith in the 26-year-old MLA, who has already hit the campaign trail.
Soma, while not formally active in politics until now, campaigned for her husband during the 2019 LS polls. She heads the Matua Mahila wing. Her nomination, however, has sparked discontent among a section of BJP workers, a party source said. "Several disgruntled workers have even issued warnings, suggesting they may protest during the election," said the source. Soma, however, is confident. "I campaigned in 2019, and the contest feels only natural," she said.
Asked about concerns in the Matua community over exclusion from the electoral rolls, Soma said the issue was temporary and would be resolved soon. "The people of Bagdah are eagerly waiting to cast their votes. Everyone is looking forward with great anticipation to May 4, as this time lotus will surely bloom in Bengal. People of Bagdah will stand by me, and I will stand by them," she said.
Madhuparna, on the other hand, is banking on her grassroots connect and her "daughter of the soil" image. "I am 100% confident of my victory. I won the bypoll by over 33,000 votes. This time, the margin will exceed 40,000," she said.
"I do not concern myself with my electoral opponent. I have respect and regard for all family elders. Ahead of last year's bypoll, I had sought blessings of all my elders. I will do so this time too," she added.
Mamata Bala also expressed confidence. "People of Bagdah have embraced Madhuparna," she said.
Matua votes remain a crucial factor in Bagdah. Concerns have emerged after over 15,000 names were reportedly excluded from the first final voter list under the SIR, with another 14,000-plus under scrutiny.