- By Imran Zafar
- Tue, 09 Jul 2024 01:33 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The by-elections for four legislative assembly seats in West Bengal will take place on July 10, Wednesday, deciding the fate of 34 candidates vying for victory. The assembly constituencies where the elections will take place are Bagda in North 24 Parganas district, Ranaghat-Dakshin in Nadia, Raiganj in North Dinajpur and Maniktala in Kolkata.
Maniktala's bypolls are being held due to the death of the former Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator, Sadhan Pande. The bypolls in Raiganj, Bagda and Ranaghat-Dakshin are necessitated by the resignation of former BJP legislators Krishna Kalyani, Biswajit Das and Mukut Mani Adhikari. These individuals contested unsuccessfully as TMC candidates in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Bengal Bypolls Candidates
TMC has re-nominated Krishna Kalyani and Mukut Mani Adhikari for the Raiganj and Ranaghat-Dakshin seats, respectively. However, Biswajit Das did not receive a nomination this time, with Madhuparna Thakur nominated for the Bagda constituency instead. Supti Pande, the widow of the late Sadhan Pande, has been fielded by TMC in Maniktala.
The Left Front, in alliance with the Congress, has nominated Arindam Biswas and Rajib Majumder for Ranaghat-Dakshin and Maniktala, respectively. The All India Forward Bloc, a Left Front constituent, has nominated Gouraditya Biswas from Bagda. Congress has fielded senior leader and former MLA Mohit Sengupta from Raiganj.
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Election Dynamics
The bypolls are expected to be intense contests. In Raiganj, Ranaghat-Dakshin, and Maniktala, a three-way fight is anticipated between TMC, BJP and the Congress-Left Front alliance. Bagda will witness a four-cornered contest, with candidates from Congress, All India Forward Bloc, TMC and BJP.
Polling data from the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections and recent Lok Sabha results suggest that BJP holds a comfortable lead in Raiganj, Ranaghat-Dakshin and Bagda, while TMC has a slight edge in Maniktala. The BJP, however, is under pressure after falling short of its goal of winning at least 30 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal and seeing its tally decline.
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Security Arrangements
The bypolls will be conducted under stringent security measures. The Election Commission of India (ECI) will deploy 55 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), with the highest deployment in Bagda (16 companies), followed by Ranaghat-Dakshin (15 companies), and Raiganj and Maniktala (12 companies each). Additionally, 100 per cent webcasting will ensure transparency and security during the bypolls.
(With agency inputs)