Trinamool confident in south Kolkata ward that held on to Left long after 2011
Telegraph | 29 April 2026
Ward
98 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has long stood as an outlier, an urban
pocket that held on to the Left even as the rest of Bengal moved on.
Located in the Netaji Nagar area
under the Tollygunge Assembly constituency in south Kolkata, the ward had
consistently backed the Left Front in successive elections, even after the
Trinamool swept to power in 2011.
That continuity was broken in the
2022 municipal polls, when Trinamool candidate Arup Chakraborty wrested control
after a closely contested fight.
The Left regained a narrow edge
in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, leading in the ward by a little over 250
votes.
The oscillation has turned Ward
98 into a closely watched battlegroun
At the grassroots level,
Trinamool workers project confidence, banking on development and local
leadership.
Arindam Ganguly, a Trinamool
worker in Netaji Nagar, was unequivocal about the party’s prospects in the
ward, attributing it to what he called visible development.
“We are confident that people
will support Trinamool this time. The work carried out under Aroop Biswas is
there for everyone to see,” he said, pointing to “improved” road conditions and
the renovation of a local pond.
A former CPM worker who switched
sides three years ago after over two decades with the Left, Ganguly alleged
that internal practices within his former party alienated sections of its
cadre. “There was a culture of intimidation. Even families of party workers
were not spared,” he claimed.
Ganguly’s shift is not an
isolated instance. Many segments of the Left’s traditional organisational base
have either drifted towards the BJP or the Trinamool, weakening its grassroots
machinery over successive election cycles.
Echoing similar views, Trinamool
worker Salil Kumar Chakraborty asserted that the BJP lacks organisational
presence in the ward. “Even when the Left secured leads here in the past,
development did not follow. Trinamool has maintained a consistent presence
among residents,” he said.
For the Left, however, Ward 98
remains rooted in a longer political memory. Indranil Basu, a local CPM leader,
traces the party’s strength in the area to its social composition.
“Netaji Nagar is largely a refugee
colony of families from East Bengal. The Left has historically enjoyed strong
support here. Even after the end of 34 years of Left rule, we continued to
receive sizeable margins,” he said.
Basu acknowledged that the
political ground began to shift after 2016. “A narrative gradually took hold
that only the BJP could defeat Trinamool. Some of our supporters were
influenced by the ‘ebare Ram, pore Baam’ [this time Ram, next time Left] line,”
he said.
Despite this, Basu maintained
that the Left continues to position itself around governance and ideological
issues. “From recruitment irregularities to unemployment and women’s safety, we
have consistently raised our voice. At the same time, we oppose communal
politics,” he said, expressing cautious optimism about a return of support.
At a modest booth camp, CPM
worker Nantu Basak pointed to the steady outflow of younger cadres.
“Most of our young workers have
had to leave the state in search of jobs. Even members of my own family.
Opportunities here are limited, recruitment is scarce, and private sector wages
are low,” he said.
Migration driven by limited
employment opportunities has emerged as a recurring political issue across
Bengal, feeding into both anti-incumbency narratives and broader socio-economic
anxieties.
Basak, who comes from a refugee
family, also pushed back against the BJP’s ideological appeal. “We came here
because of religious tensions, but we never allowed that to shape our politics.
We have strong ties across communities. Supporting the BJP is not an option for
many here,” he said.
This reporter covered over 10
booths across Netaji Nagar but could not spot a single BJP booth camp. The
party office near Masterda Surya Sen Metro Station was also closed.
For the incumbent councillor, the
narrowing of margins itself signals change. Arup Chakraborty pointed out that
earlier Left leads of 4,000 to 6,000 votes have sharply reduced. “In 2024, the
lead came down to just 255 votes. That shows the direction in which people are
moving. Trinamool will lead this ward and Left will take the second spot. BJP
will come third,” he said.