TERRITORY OF UNCERTAINTY...
10 April 2011
MALDA has always thrown up surprising election results paying no heed to the ongoing wave in the state. Political leaders are anticipating “unexpected” results here this time too, writes Manas Ranjan BanerjeeFollowing delimitation, Malda has got 12 Assembly constituencies ~ one more than earlier. The new seat ~ Mothabari has come up on bank of the Ganga comprising a major part of erosion hit Kaliachak-II block which was under Manikchak Assembly segment earlier. Three old Assembly segments ~ Araidanga, Kharba and Kaliachak ~ have been renamed as Malatipur, Chanchal and Baishnabnagar respectively. The delimitation exercise has helped both the CPI-M and the Congress. Now English Bazaar and Baishnabnagar seats have become “safe” for the CPI-M after exclusion of some Congress-dominated areas.
The CPI-M used to contest 10 Assembly segments and the LF partner Forward Bloc used to contest from Harishchandrapur. This time, another LF partner RSP is contesting from Malatipur. Congress had to settle for nine seats with three seats being contested by the Trinamul Congress ~ Manikchak, Malatipur and Habibpur.
The BJP has fielded 12 candidates as well. Political observers feel that the Trinamul and the RSP may open their account in the Assembly poll 2011 in Malda this time around. The BJP would divide anti-Left votes in Hindu tribal and other backward class dominated areas of Habibpur, Gazole and Baishnabnagar seats, denting the hopes of the Congress-Trinamul Congress alliance. Though the district was a Congress stronghold under the leadership of the late ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury, the LF had been able to bag more Assembly seats than the Congress on earlier occasions. The LF had bagged 10 seats out of 11 in 1987. The LF had secured six seats in 2001 and seven in 2006 in Malda.
But, after Mr AH Khan Choudhury and Mrs Mausam Noor won the two Lok Sabha seats in 2009 here, the Congress had been able to obtain sizable margin in all 11 Assembly segments (except Habibpur, a red bastion) out of 12. Interestingly, people of Gazole, another red bastion in tribal dominated Barind belt, had preferred to cast their vote in favour of the Congress candidate, Mrs Noor. She had obtained 64,308 votes but the CPI-M candidate, Mr Sailen Sarkar, had secured only 61,335 votes. Records show that though the Congress has been able to increase its percentage of votes in parliamentary elections, it has not been able to increase its percentage of votes in the Assembly elections in Malda. The Congress had obtained 45.88 per cent votes in parliament elections in 2004 and 50.96 per cent votes in 2009 and the CPI-M had obtained 38.16 per cent in 2004 and 39.31 per cent in 2009. But, in Assembly elections 2006, the Congress had achieved only 39.87 per cent votes with the LF bagging 45.23 per cent votes.
In 2008 panchayat polls, the LF could not recover the Malda zilla parishad, which was under the control of the Congress-Trinamul Congress and the BJP alliance.
Despite remarkable results in favour of the Congress in last general elections, the CPI-M-led LF leaders here are targeting to win eight seats out of 12, identifying four seats ~ Sujapur, Chanchal, Mothabari and Manikchak ~ as Congress strongholds. The CPI-M leaders seem overconfident about two seats ~ Habibpur and Gazole. The LF cadres have been asked to retain and recover the rest six seats ~ Baishanabnagar and English Bazaar in south Malda and Harishchandrapur, Malatipur, Ratua and Malda in north Malda parliamentary segment.
Out of these eight seats, English Bazaar is the centre of a prestigious fight for both the CPI-M and the Congress. Though the BJP candidate, Mr Gobinda Mandal, former English Bazaar municipality vice chairman, is contesting here, residents are interested to know about the fate of the sitting Congress MLA, Mr Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury who is up against former English Bazaar CPI-M MLA, Mr Samar Roy. He became a ‘consensus’ candidate just two days before the announcement of the LF candidate list. This is the first time, the CPI-M state secretariat directly nominated Mr Roy even though the CPI-M district committee for English Bazaar had proposed the name of Mr Kaushik Mishra.
This was following mutiny announced by almost all CPI-M cadres, supporters and well-wishers of the party, except a group of CPI-M members led by a veteran leader, Mr Sailen Sarkar. In 2006, Mr Krishnendu Choudhury was elected on a Congress ticket defeating Mr Roy by a margin of only 906 votes. Political observers are looking forward to five interesting Assembly segments ~ the Mothabari, Manikchak, Malatipur, Baishnabnagar and Habibpur ~ following internal squabbling in the Congress camp and in the Ghani Khan family. In Mothabari, Mrs Sabina Yeasmin, sabhadhipati of Malda zilla parishad, has been nominated as the Congress candidate as recommended by the leaders of the Rahul Brigade ignoring the district Congress president, Mr AH Khan Choudhury’s recommendation. Interestingly, Mr Khan Choudhury’s candidate (read niece) Mrs Shanaz Quadery is contesting as an Independent.
The north Malda MP, Mrs Mausam Noor has been campaigning for Mrs Yeasmin. An apparently upset Mrs Yeasmin said: "I am a Congress candidate. I feel bad when a family member of Barkat-da is maligning the Congress using the name of Ghani Khan. But Mrs Noor is doing her best for me." In Manikchak, the Trinamul candidate, Mrs Sabitri Mitra, who was former district Congress president and MLA from Araidanga, has been able to pacify the rebel Congress leader, Mr Ram Prabesh Mandal, former Manikchak MLA, to withdraw nomination. Mrs Mitra may bag the seat as two Congress-dominated gram panchayats ~ Milky and Sobhanagar from English Bazaar ~ have been added to Manikchak.
Trinamul candidate from Malatipur, Mr Gautam Chakraborty, is contesting against the RSP candidate, Mr Rahim Boxi, Zilla Parishad member and also an Independent candidate, a rebel Congress leader, Mr Al-Beruni, son of late Congress Golam Yazdani, former MLA and MP. Mr Al-Beruni has enough influence to divide the vote of the Opposition here. "It is a matter of regret that Dalu-da (AH Khan Choudhury) has not taken any initiative to withdraw the nomination of Al-Beruni. Despite my request, Mrs Noor has not campaigned for Mr Gautam Chakraborty in Malatipur,” Mrs Sabitri Mitra said. In Baishnabnagar, the son of Mr AH Khan Choudhury, Mr Isha Khan Choudhury, an inexperienced Congress candidate, is facing difficulties in garnering votes against the CPI-M candidate and sitting MLA, Mr Biswanath Ghosh.
Mr AH Khan Choudhury said: “The area was not suitable for us. I have to work hard for him." He claimed that the Congress-Trinamul Congress combine would win at least nine seats in this district. Voters in Habibpur Assembly constituency, where the BJP had made a strong base, are divided into three groups as the Trinamul decided to field Mr Mohan Tudu, who has been elected zilla parishad member from a BJP ticket earlier. The situation is improving in favour of the CPI-M candidate, Mr Khagen Murmu. Electors would settle the destiny of veteran Marxist leader, Mr Sailen Sarkar, the state environment minister, in Ratua seat against Congress's Mr Samar Mukherjee. Mr Sailen Sarkar, who is in no position to walk owing to his ill health, has adopted Ghani Khan’s style creating sympathy among the people as majority voters say: “This is the last election of Sailen-da.”
The CPI-M used to contest 10 Assembly segments and the LF partner Forward Bloc used to contest from Harishchandrapur. This time, another LF partner RSP is contesting from Malatipur. Congress had to settle for nine seats with three seats being contested by the Trinamul Congress ~ Manikchak, Malatipur and Habibpur.
The BJP has fielded 12 candidates as well. Political observers feel that the Trinamul and the RSP may open their account in the Assembly poll 2011 in Malda this time around. The BJP would divide anti-Left votes in Hindu tribal and other backward class dominated areas of Habibpur, Gazole and Baishnabnagar seats, denting the hopes of the Congress-Trinamul Congress alliance. Though the district was a Congress stronghold under the leadership of the late ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury, the LF had been able to bag more Assembly seats than the Congress on earlier occasions. The LF had bagged 10 seats out of 11 in 1987. The LF had secured six seats in 2001 and seven in 2006 in Malda.
But, after Mr AH Khan Choudhury and Mrs Mausam Noor won the two Lok Sabha seats in 2009 here, the Congress had been able to obtain sizable margin in all 11 Assembly segments (except Habibpur, a red bastion) out of 12. Interestingly, people of Gazole, another red bastion in tribal dominated Barind belt, had preferred to cast their vote in favour of the Congress candidate, Mrs Noor. She had obtained 64,308 votes but the CPI-M candidate, Mr Sailen Sarkar, had secured only 61,335 votes. Records show that though the Congress has been able to increase its percentage of votes in parliamentary elections, it has not been able to increase its percentage of votes in the Assembly elections in Malda. The Congress had obtained 45.88 per cent votes in parliament elections in 2004 and 50.96 per cent votes in 2009 and the CPI-M had obtained 38.16 per cent in 2004 and 39.31 per cent in 2009. But, in Assembly elections 2006, the Congress had achieved only 39.87 per cent votes with the LF bagging 45.23 per cent votes.
In 2008 panchayat polls, the LF could not recover the Malda zilla parishad, which was under the control of the Congress-Trinamul Congress and the BJP alliance.
Despite remarkable results in favour of the Congress in last general elections, the CPI-M-led LF leaders here are targeting to win eight seats out of 12, identifying four seats ~ Sujapur, Chanchal, Mothabari and Manikchak ~ as Congress strongholds. The CPI-M leaders seem overconfident about two seats ~ Habibpur and Gazole. The LF cadres have been asked to retain and recover the rest six seats ~ Baishanabnagar and English Bazaar in south Malda and Harishchandrapur, Malatipur, Ratua and Malda in north Malda parliamentary segment.
Out of these eight seats, English Bazaar is the centre of a prestigious fight for both the CPI-M and the Congress. Though the BJP candidate, Mr Gobinda Mandal, former English Bazaar municipality vice chairman, is contesting here, residents are interested to know about the fate of the sitting Congress MLA, Mr Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury who is up against former English Bazaar CPI-M MLA, Mr Samar Roy. He became a ‘consensus’ candidate just two days before the announcement of the LF candidate list. This is the first time, the CPI-M state secretariat directly nominated Mr Roy even though the CPI-M district committee for English Bazaar had proposed the name of Mr Kaushik Mishra.
This was following mutiny announced by almost all CPI-M cadres, supporters and well-wishers of the party, except a group of CPI-M members led by a veteran leader, Mr Sailen Sarkar. In 2006, Mr Krishnendu Choudhury was elected on a Congress ticket defeating Mr Roy by a margin of only 906 votes. Political observers are looking forward to five interesting Assembly segments ~ the Mothabari, Manikchak, Malatipur, Baishnabnagar and Habibpur ~ following internal squabbling in the Congress camp and in the Ghani Khan family. In Mothabari, Mrs Sabina Yeasmin, sabhadhipati of Malda zilla parishad, has been nominated as the Congress candidate as recommended by the leaders of the Rahul Brigade ignoring the district Congress president, Mr AH Khan Choudhury’s recommendation. Interestingly, Mr Khan Choudhury’s candidate (read niece) Mrs Shanaz Quadery is contesting as an Independent.
The north Malda MP, Mrs Mausam Noor has been campaigning for Mrs Yeasmin. An apparently upset Mrs Yeasmin said: "I am a Congress candidate. I feel bad when a family member of Barkat-da is maligning the Congress using the name of Ghani Khan. But Mrs Noor is doing her best for me." In Manikchak, the Trinamul candidate, Mrs Sabitri Mitra, who was former district Congress president and MLA from Araidanga, has been able to pacify the rebel Congress leader, Mr Ram Prabesh Mandal, former Manikchak MLA, to withdraw nomination. Mrs Mitra may bag the seat as two Congress-dominated gram panchayats ~ Milky and Sobhanagar from English Bazaar ~ have been added to Manikchak.
Trinamul candidate from Malatipur, Mr Gautam Chakraborty, is contesting against the RSP candidate, Mr Rahim Boxi, Zilla Parishad member and also an Independent candidate, a rebel Congress leader, Mr Al-Beruni, son of late Congress Golam Yazdani, former MLA and MP. Mr Al-Beruni has enough influence to divide the vote of the Opposition here. "It is a matter of regret that Dalu-da (AH Khan Choudhury) has not taken any initiative to withdraw the nomination of Al-Beruni. Despite my request, Mrs Noor has not campaigned for Mr Gautam Chakraborty in Malatipur,” Mrs Sabitri Mitra said. In Baishnabnagar, the son of Mr AH Khan Choudhury, Mr Isha Khan Choudhury, an inexperienced Congress candidate, is facing difficulties in garnering votes against the CPI-M candidate and sitting MLA, Mr Biswanath Ghosh.
Mr AH Khan Choudhury said: “The area was not suitable for us. I have to work hard for him." He claimed that the Congress-Trinamul Congress combine would win at least nine seats in this district. Voters in Habibpur Assembly constituency, where the BJP had made a strong base, are divided into three groups as the Trinamul decided to field Mr Mohan Tudu, who has been elected zilla parishad member from a BJP ticket earlier. The situation is improving in favour of the CPI-M candidate, Mr Khagen Murmu. Electors would settle the destiny of veteran Marxist leader, Mr Sailen Sarkar, the state environment minister, in Ratua seat against Congress's Mr Samar Mukherjee. Mr Sailen Sarkar, who is in no position to walk owing to his ill health, has adopted Ghani Khan’s style creating sympathy among the people as majority voters say: “This is the last election of Sailen-da.”
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