High-stakes battle looms in WB's South Malda, triangular fight likely on May 7

SOUTH MALDA: After witnessing a triangular contest in 2019 with a narrowing winning vote margin, Maldaha Dakshin, one of West Bengal's 42 Lok Sabha constituencies, is a highly anticipated constituency as TMC and BJP have declared their candidate from the seat.

Polling for the South Malda constituency is scheduled for May 7.

Trinamool Congress has declared - Shanawaz Ali Rehan as its candidate from South Malda. While BJP has once again reposed faith in Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury as the candidate from South Malda. Congress is yet to declare its face for the seat.

Malda South Lok Sabha constituency consist of seven assembly segments Manikcha, English Bazar, Mothabar, Sujapur, Baishnab Nagar, Farakka, Samserganj.

Incumbent MP from South Malda and Congress leader Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury (Dalu) has been winning the seat since 2009, but over the years the vote base had been narrowing. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls Abu Hasem's victory margin over Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury was just 0.6 percent.

In 2018 the TMC won 22 seats, the Congress won two seats whereas the BJP won 18 out of the 42 seats in the state.

Riding on issues of worsening law and order, corruption, atrocities on women and the implementation of the CAA, the BJP is sniffing a chance of not only repeating its 2019 performance of winning 18 seats but also raising its tally before it takes on TMC in the assembly polls in 2026.

"CAA is the law to give citizenship to those who need it and not to snatch anyone's citizenship. Trinamool Congress' campaigning propaganda has been going on only and only to mislead the common people and to instigate them in any way" said BJP candidate from South Malda Srirupa Mitra

"The government of Trinamool Congress is spreading unrest among the people and provoking people at various places against, our nation-building campaign by Honorable Modi ji," said BJP candidate Srirupa Mitra.

"Modi ji has a mantra, that mantra is service, good governance and poor welfare. These three mantras and Antyodaya are the foundation of our Bharatiya Janata Party. Antyodya is the basis of our human welfare, as Pandit Upadhyay ji has said. We will take the same mantra forward under the leadership of Honorable Modi ji. In this election, we say that this is the biggest festival of democracy. This festival has to be the worship of Janata Janardan (Public). We are moving forward with the welfare of the poor." Srirupa Mitra added.

In 2019, Congress leader Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury (Dalu) got 444,270 votes, while, BJP's Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury bagged 436,048 in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. In 2019, TMC leader Md. Moazzem Hossain was in third position with 3,51,353 votes.

In 2014, Congress leader Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury (Dalu) also won from the South Malda constituency.

Maldaha Dakshin, one of West Bengal's 42 Lok Sabha constituencies, paints a picture of a diverse electorate. While a general category seat, it encompasses parts of both Malda and Murshidabad districts, boasting a significant rural population (67%) alongside a growing urban base (33%) according to the 2011 census.

The constituency's literacy rate stands at 53.68%, with a substantial Muslim population according to voter list analysis (around 58.8%). Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities also hold a presence, constituting roughly 15.2% and 3.7% of voters respectively.

Maldaha Dakshin has witnessed impressive voter turnout in recent elections. In the 2019 General Elections, a staggering 80.9% of electors cast their ballots. This high participation rate was preceded by an 82.4% turnout in the 2016 Assembly Elections.

India's political landscape is undergoing a significant transition as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections draw near. The INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) consortium is gearing up to challenge the established National Democratic Alliance.

The elections for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held from April 19 to June 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4.