In the upcoming electoral showdown in the southern reaches of West Bengal, a myriad of notable contenders spanning from governmental figures to thespians are poised to vie for victory on Monday. This electoral dance unfolds across seven Lok Sabha constituencies during the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. A vast constituency of 1,25,23,702 voters, comprising 63,51,320 men, 61,72,034 women, and 348 individuals identifying beyond the binary, stand eligible to cast their ballots at 13,481 designated polling stations scattered across these seven electoral divisions.
The Electoral Commission has earmarked over 57 percent of these polling stations as sensitive zones, prompting the deployment of over 60,000 central forces in addition to 29,172 state law enforcement officers for this phase, as relayed by an official source. The electoral aspirations in the Howrah, Hooghly, Serampore, and Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituencies, nestled on either side of the Hooghly River banks, hinge upon resuscitating shuttered industries, addressing the ailing state of jute mills, and responding to the fervent clamor for employment opportunities among the electorate.
At the heart of the electoral tussle in the Bangaon constituency, bordering Bangladesh, lies the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which has ignited a fierce rivalry between the BJP and the TMC. Securing the allegiance of the Matua community, many of whom migrated from the neighboring nation, emerges as the linchpin for clinching victory in this electoral battleground.
Uluberia and Arambagh constitute the remaining two electoral bastions in Bengal slated for polls on Monday. With the electoral spotlight now shining brightly on the fiercely contested constituencies in southern Bengal during this fifth phase, the Electoral Commission has designated over 57 percent of polling booths as sensitive, mobilizing a formidable contingent of security personnel in comparison to previous phases to ensure the smooth conduct of polling activities.
In Barrackpore, BJP’s Arjun Singh, a figure who has traversed the corridors of both the saffron party and the Trinamool Congress on multiple occasions over the past half-decade, locks horns with West Bengal minister Partha Bhowmick in a bid to defend the seat he captured in 2019. Meanwhile, TMC has enlisted the services of actor Rachana Banerjee to thwart BJP’s actor-politician Locket Chatterjee from securing a consecutive term in Hooghly.
In the Serampore constituency, BJP’s Kabir Shankar Bose and CPI(M)’s student leader Dipsita Dhar mount a formidable challenge against TMC’s incumbent MP Kalyan Banerjee, who seeks to extend his tenure for a fourth consecutive term. Union Minister of State Shantanu Thakur of BJP wages a spirited battle to retain the Bangaon seat against TMC’s Biswajit Das, who defected to the Mamata Banerjee-led party following his victory in the 2021 assembly polls under the BJP banner from Bagdah, nestled within this Lok Sabha constituency.
In Howrah, once renowned as the Sheffield of the East owing to its proliferation of factories, former footballer-turned-politician Prasun Banerjee endeavors to secure his third term on a TMC ticket. However, he faces stiff competition from BJP’s Rathin Chakraborty, a former TMC luminary and erstwhile mayor of the Howrah Municipal Corporation, in addition to CPI(M)’s legal luminary candidate Sabyasachi Chatterjee.
BJP’s Arun Uday Pal Chaudhary mounts a resolute challenge to prevent TMC’s Sajda Ahmed from clinching a third consecutive term in the Uluberia constituency. Meanwhile, in Arambagh, TMC presents Mitali Bag as a replacement for its two-term MP Aparupa Poddar, who squares off against BJP’s Arup Kanti Digar and CPI(M)’s Biplab Kanti Moitra.