Maldaha North Lok Sabha constituency in the northern part of Kolkata, West Bengal is going to witness a triangular contest between the Congress-Left alliance, BJP and TMC for the upcoming elections.
This constituency, once a Congress stronghold, has seen the rise of BJP and Trinamool Congress in the last decade.
TMC has influence in Chanchal, Harishchandrapur, Maltipur and Ratu assembly seats, which are part of the Lok Sabha constituency, while the BJP has made inroads in Habibpur, Gazole and Maldaha areas.
Despite such changes, long-term issues such as river erosion, healthcare infrastructure and drinking water problems persist.
Outgoing BJP MP Khagen Murmu, who is confident of retaining the seat for the second consecutive term, stressed his efforts to address local grievances despite resistance from the state government.He cited challenges in implementing central schemes due to "lack of cooperation from the state administration".
"I am confident of winning with a huge margin. The people of this constituency have felt that the local administration and the state government do not want development for them. They have been deprived due to the non-cooperative attitude of the state government. I have fought for them. There has been a fight and the people of Maldaha North know this.I know they will vote for me again,” BJP candidate Toll.
Murmu, a former CPI(M) MLA from Habibpur who joined the BJP in 2019, alleged that whenever he tried to implement any central government scheme he faced massive resistance from the state government.
He said, "There is a large population that is still living in kutcha houses. I tried to help them rebuild their houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, but the state government is doing everything possible to stop me from helping the poor people. did something."
He also mentioned the existing problems of river erosion and inadequate drinking water and alleged that people in his constituency were getting "poor quality provisions" from ration shops.Murmu alleged, "I have requested the state minister several times to send a detailed project report to the Center so that river erosion can be stopped. But it never happened."
He said that the erosion of river Ganga in Mahanandtol Gram Panchayat under Ratua assembly seat has displaced thousands of villagers.
Countering Murmu's claims, TMC MLA Samar Mukherjee criticized the BJP for its "failure to fulfill promises to stop river erosion before the 2019 elections".
“Erosion of river Ganga is a major issue that affects the lives of thousands of people in Malda and Murshidabad districts.Our government helped the villagers displaced by erosion. They are very angry with the BJP MP because he has failed to keep his promise,” Mukherjee said.
Congress candidate Mustaq Alam expressed confidence that his party would win the elections as people are "fed up with the politics of BJP and TMC".
Alam questioned IP officer-turned-TMC candidate Prasun Banerjee's understanding of grassroots politics.
The Congress leader said, "What does he (Prasun Banerjee) know about politics? You cannot sense the pulse of the people by suddenly coming out of an air-conditioned room.Maldah North is not such an easy matter.”
He said people have realized that "the politics of BJP and TMC will not benefit them".
Banerjee, a 2006 batch IPS officer, has held several important positions, including Inspector General (IG) of Raiganj range, before taking voluntary retirement to contest the elections.
“I had received offers from TMC and was promised inclusion in Mamat Banerjee's cabinet, but they don't know that I am not a traitor. I started as a student leader under the leadership of ABA Gani Khan Choudhary, along with others like Priya Ranjan. Worked with leaders Dasmunshi and Pradeep Chakraborty, and learned what politics is,” Alam said over the phone.Banerjee refused to respond to her detractors and said, "I don't want to say anything right now. Everything will be revealed on June 4."
In the 2019 elections, the BJP secured over 37.5 per cent of the votes, while the share of TMC and Congress was 31 per cent and 22.5 per cent respectively.
Voting will be held in Maldaha North parliamentary constituency on May 7.
This constituency, once a Congress stronghold, has seen the rise of BJP and Trinamool Congress in the last decade.
TMC has influence in Chanchal, Harishchandrapur, Maltipur and Ratu assembly seats, which are part of the Lok Sabha constituency, while the BJP has made inroads in Habibpur, Gazole and Maldaha areas.
Despite such changes, long-term issues such as river erosion, healthcare infrastructure and drinking water problems persist.
Outgoing BJP MP Khagen Murmu, who is confident of retaining the seat for the second consecutive term, stressed his efforts to address local grievances despite resistance from the state government.He cited challenges in implementing central schemes due to "lack of cooperation from the state administration".
"I am confident of winning with a huge margin. The people of this constituency have felt that the local administration and the state government do not want development for them. They have been deprived due to the non-cooperative attitude of the state government. I have fought for them. There has been a fight and the people of Maldaha North know this.I know they will vote for me again,” BJP candidate Toll.
Murmu, a former CPI(M) MLA from Habibpur who joined the BJP in 2019, alleged that whenever he tried to implement any central government scheme he faced massive resistance from the state government.
He said, "There is a large population that is still living in kutcha houses. I tried to help them rebuild their houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, but the state government is doing everything possible to stop me from helping the poor people. did something."
He also mentioned the existing problems of river erosion and inadequate drinking water and alleged that people in his constituency were getting "poor quality provisions" from ration shops.Murmu alleged, "I have requested the state minister several times to send a detailed project report to the Center so that river erosion can be stopped. But it never happened."
He said that the erosion of river Ganga in Mahanandtol Gram Panchayat under Ratua assembly seat has displaced thousands of villagers.
Countering Murmu's claims, TMC MLA Samar Mukherjee criticized the BJP for its "failure to fulfill promises to stop river erosion before the 2019 elections".
“Erosion of river Ganga is a major issue that affects the lives of thousands of people in Malda and Murshidabad districts.Our government helped the villagers displaced by erosion. They are very angry with the BJP MP because he has failed to keep his promise,” Mukherjee said.
Congress candidate Mustaq Alam expressed confidence that his party would win the elections as people are "fed up with the politics of BJP and TMC".
Alam questioned IP officer-turned-TMC candidate Prasun Banerjee's understanding of grassroots politics.
The Congress leader said, "What does he (Prasun Banerjee) know about politics? You cannot sense the pulse of the people by suddenly coming out of an air-conditioned room.Maldah North is not such an easy matter.”
He said people have realized that "the politics of BJP and TMC will not benefit them".
Banerjee, a 2006 batch IPS officer, has held several important positions, including Inspector General (IG) of Raiganj range, before taking voluntary retirement to contest the elections.
“I had received offers from TMC and was promised inclusion in Mamat Banerjee's cabinet, but they don't know that I am not a traitor. I started as a student leader under the leadership of ABA Gani Khan Choudhary, along with others like Priya Ranjan. Worked with leaders Dasmunshi and Pradeep Chakraborty, and learned what politics is,” Alam said over the phone.Banerjee refused to respond to her detractors and said, "I don't want to say anything right now. Everything will be revealed on June 4."
In the 2019 elections, the BJP secured over 37.5 per cent of the votes, while the share of TMC and Congress was 31 per cent and 22.5 per cent respectively.
Voting will be held in Maldaha North parliamentary constituency on May 7.
