New Delhi: The eight-phase elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly began on March 27. Polling for the last phase of the elections began on April 29 amidst a spike in cases of COVID-19. The votes are scheduled to be counted on May 2. Here are the key electoral fights in the assembly elections.
Mamata Banerjee (TMC) vs. Suvendu Adhikari (BJP)
West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. Photo: PTI
Facing an uphill challenge, the Trinamool Congress chief minister gave up her traditional Bhawanipur seat to contest from Nandigram, which is seen as a stronghold of Suvendu Adhikari, the chief minister’s former close aide who switched to the BJP ahead of the assembly polls. The contest in the constituency of Nandigram was the most high-pitched battle in the assembly elections, with Adhikari attempting to polarise the electorate on religious lines like never before.
Also read: Propelled to Poll Epicentre, Nandigram Battles Polarisation in Fight for ‘Bengal’s Soul’
Swapan Dasgupta (BJP)
Swapan Dasgupta with Narendra Modi. Photo: Facebook/Swapan Dasgupta
Swapan Dasgupta, a familiar name in national media, is testing his luck in the electoral battle from Tarakeswar, known for its popular Shiva temple. Dasgupta had to resign from his Rajya Sabha seat to contest the assembly polls but he believed it was worth the effort as he had been one of the key leaders in BJP’s Bengal campaign. Dasgupta has also been touted as a potential chief ministerial candidate in the event of a BJP victory.
Mohammad Salim (CPI(M))
CPI(M) candidate Mohammed Salim. Photo: Twitter/salimdotcomrade
The prestigious seat in Haora also witnessed a high-profile contest with actor-turned-BJP leader Yash Dasgupta taking on veteran CPI(M) leader Md. Salim. Also in the fray is sitting TMC MLA and popular leader Swati Khandekar. Salim has practically been the face of the Left Front-Congress-ISF alliance, and has attempted to project the third front as the alternative to “communal” BJP and “corrupt” TMC.
Also read: In Birbhum, TMC’s Muscle Power Has Become a Weakness as Voters Look for Change
Anirban Ganguly (BJP)
Bolpur’s BJP candidate Anirban Ganguly, also the director of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation (SPMRF), has placed himself as a contestant in TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal’s pocket borough Shantiniketan. Ganguly is credited to have overseen BJP Bengal’s intellectual campaign over the last three years.
Asok Bhattacharya (CPI(M))
CPI(M) heavyweight from Siliguri, Bhattacharya’s name is synonymous with this constituency since the Left Front days. He is facing a tough challenge as his one-time right-hand-man, CPI(M) youth leader Sankar Ghosh, is contesting on a BJP ticket.
Mukul Roy (BJP)
BJP leader Mukul Roy with Union home minister Amit Shah. Photo: Twitter/MukulR_Official
BJP leader Mukul Roy, who was once one of the closest aides of Mamata Banerjee, is contesting an election after 20 years. His seat Krishnanagar North, a Matua-dominated seat, is considered a prestige battle for the BJP.
Rudranil Ghosh (BJP)
Ghosh is contesting as a BJP candidate from the chief minister’s former seat in Bhawanipur. Here the state power minister Sovandeb Chatterjee and actor-turned-political Rudranil Ghosh of the BJP will battle it out for the prestigious seat.
Also read: Bengal: How Infighting Took Away TMC’s Fighting Chance in Cooch Behar District
Nishith Pramanik (BJP)
BJP’s Cooch Behar MP Pramanik will be contesting against TMC MLA and senior leader Udayan Guha from Dinhata. It is a prestige battle for the BJP which has fielded four of its MPs in the assembly polls.
Babul Supriyo (BJP)
BJP leader Babul Supriyo. Photo: PTI
BJP’s Asansol MP Supriyo is another MP who has been fielded by his party from TMC stronghold Tollygunge. Tollygunge, also where the Bengali film industry is located, is considered a safe seat from TMC minister Aroop Biswas.
Locket Chatterjee (BJP)
Actor-turned BJP MP Locket Chatterjee is contesting from Chinsurah in Haora and is facing a tough challenge amidst a resentful BJP’s local unit and a solid TMC organisation in the region.
Also read: Why Bengal’s Elections Are Far More Complex than TMC’s Corruption and BJP’s Communal Drive
Ashok Lahiri (BJP)
It is said that if the BJP comes to power, Lahiri will take over as the saffron government’s finance minister. Lahiri is contesting from Balurghat.
Becharam Manna (TMC)
TMC’s Becharam Manna. Photo: Twitter/mlabecharam
TMC’s Manna, who was the face of anti-Tata Nano agitation in 2007-08 is contesting from Singur against Rabindranath Bhtaatacharya, sitting TMC MLA who switched to the BJP ahead of the polls.
Birbaha Hansda (TMC)
The Santhali actress-turned politician Hansda is contesting from Jhargram seat as a TMC candidate. She has been at the forefront of Adivasi rights’ movements in the area, and has been demanding the merger of some parts of Jangalmahal region into Jharkhand.
Naushad Siddiqui (ISF)
Naushad Siddiqui. Photo: Radhika Bordia
Muslim cleric Abbas Siddiqui’s brither, Naushad, is contesting from Bhangar. Bhangar is where Siddiqui’s party the Indian Secular Front first took shape. Bhangar was supposed to be an easy win for TMC but with Naushad in the fray, the contest has turned triangular.
Also read: As Abbas Siddiqui Fights for a ‘Secular Front’, Mamata Still Retains a Large Muslim Following
Deblina Hembrom (CPI(M))
The CPI(M) candidate from Ranibandh, Bankura, is a popular adivasi leader of the Left. In 2011, even as TMC won most seats in the assembly, Hembrom won Ranibandh with a big margin. Her performance in the assembly polls will be keenly-watched as she is also one of the faces of the Left Front.