Kolkata, Amidst the struggle for survival, the river island of Sandeshkhali in Basirhat subdivision of North 24 Parganas district finds itself at a crossroads, as men from almost every household chase livelihood opportunities far and wide, shadowed by their absence. It is threatening to have a decisive impact on them. th election.
Aseem Koyal, Soumik Halder, Vishwajit Maiti, Rabindranath Mandal Dulal Roy and many others are currently in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Delhi for livelihood.
Sabitri Maiti, a resident of Sandeshkhali Block 1, shared her plight, claiming, “My husband Rabin has been in Chennai for two years. Although we have agricultural land, Shajahan Shaikh and his associates, Uttam Sardar and Shibu Hazra have taken it forcefully. have taken." My husband had no option but to leave West Bengal to support our family.,
Rabin, who worked as a mason, could not come to vote because his employer had refused to give him leave. "I came home in February. Now I have been denied leave. Besides, coming home to vote would mean a huge cut in salary, which I can afford," he said.
Sandeshkhali had hit the headlines on January 5 when the enforcement department team was attacked when it had gone to raid the premises of TM leader Shazhan Shaikh in connection with an alleged ration scam.Voting will be held on Saturday in Sandeshkhal, which falls under Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency of West Bengal.
Sukant Hazra, 27, also could not get leave from his local employer in Gujarat, according to his father.
Arup Nandi, who worked at a jewelery shop in Ahmedabad, justified his migration by saying, "Why didn't we start farming on our land in Sandeshkhali? Because there were no job opportunities or favorable business conditions due to the threat from Shahjahan and his group. Our only option was to leave.”
According to the Election Commission, Sandeshkhali has a total of 245,755 voters, which includes 125,976 males and 119,775 females.Suprakash Modak, an octogenarian and a respected figure in Sandeshkhali, assures that despite the absence of these people, the people are there to move forward. However, he lamented the deteriorating situation over the years.
"Earlier, elections used to be very peaceful. But since 2010, there have been reports of some irregularities. I don't know what the outcome of this election will be," Moda said.,
TMC candidate and former MP Haji Nurul Islam rejected the allegations, terming them "made up" by the BJP.
"The incidents at Sandeshkhali were the result of a conspiracy by the BJP. There were never any incidents of land grabbing and sexual harassment. Similarly, the notion that men working in other states will not be able to vote is another false allegation. Sandeshkhali Will vote, and we will ensure this,” Haji said.Speaking to , an official from the CEO office assured that elaborate arrangements have been made to facilitate smooth voting for the residents.
"We have taken all necessary measures to simplify and streamline the voting process. People need not fear anything and are encouraged to cast their vote freely. A large number of people are deployed to monitor the proceedings. However, if someone is unable to cast his vote due to being out of the state it is really unfortunate,'' the election official commented.
Aseem Koyal, Soumik Halder, Vishwajit Maiti, Rabindranath Mandal Dulal Roy and many others are currently in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Delhi for livelihood.
Sabitri Maiti, a resident of Sandeshkhali Block 1, shared her plight, claiming, “My husband Rabin has been in Chennai for two years. Although we have agricultural land, Shajahan Shaikh and his associates, Uttam Sardar and Shibu Hazra have taken it forcefully. have taken." My husband had no option but to leave West Bengal to support our family.,
Rabin, who worked as a mason, could not come to vote because his employer had refused to give him leave. "I came home in February. Now I have been denied leave. Besides, coming home to vote would mean a huge cut in salary, which I can afford," he said.
Sandeshkhali had hit the headlines on January 5 when the enforcement department team was attacked when it had gone to raid the premises of TM leader Shazhan Shaikh in connection with an alleged ration scam.Voting will be held on Saturday in Sandeshkhal, which falls under Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency of West Bengal.
Sukant Hazra, 27, also could not get leave from his local employer in Gujarat, according to his father.
Arup Nandi, who worked at a jewelery shop in Ahmedabad, justified his migration by saying, "Why didn't we start farming on our land in Sandeshkhali? Because there were no job opportunities or favorable business conditions due to the threat from Shahjahan and his group. Our only option was to leave.”
According to the Election Commission, Sandeshkhali has a total of 245,755 voters, which includes 125,976 males and 119,775 females.Suprakash Modak, an octogenarian and a respected figure in Sandeshkhali, assures that despite the absence of these people, the people are there to move forward. However, he lamented the deteriorating situation over the years.
"Earlier, elections used to be very peaceful. But since 2010, there have been reports of some irregularities. I don't know what the outcome of this election will be," Moda said.,
TMC candidate and former MP Haji Nurul Islam rejected the allegations, terming them "made up" by the BJP.
"The incidents at Sandeshkhali were the result of a conspiracy by the BJP. There were never any incidents of land grabbing and sexual harassment. Similarly, the notion that men working in other states will not be able to vote is another false allegation. Sandeshkhali Will vote, and we will ensure this,” Haji said.Speaking to , an official from the CEO office assured that elaborate arrangements have been made to facilitate smooth voting for the residents.
"We have taken all necessary measures to simplify and streamline the voting process. People need not fear anything and are encouraged to cast their vote freely. A large number of people are deployed to monitor the proceedings. However, if someone is unable to cast his vote due to being out of the state it is really unfortunate,'' the election official commented.
