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West Bengal is set to witness bypolls for six Assembly constituencies on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. These constituencies are spread across five districts of the state, with four located in south Bengal and two in north Bengal. The byelections have been necessitated due to the earlier election of the MLAs of these constituencies to the Lok Sabha in the General Election held earlier this year.
The bypolls are being held in the Sitai and Madarihat constituencies in north Bengal, and the Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, and Taldangra constituencies in south Bengal. The bypolls are expected to provide a gauge of the public mood following the horrific rape and murder of a doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, which sparked widespread protests. The Trinamool Congress, the state's ruling party, has faced significant criticism over the law and order situation in the state.
Campaigning for the bypolls commenced on a subdued note but escalated with the exchange of political barbs as the campaign concluded on Monday. The Election Commission of India issued a show cause notice to the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Sukanta Majumdar for his remarks directed at the police and the national emblem.
The Trinamool Congress has fielded Sangita Roy from Sitai in Cooch Behar district; Jay Prakash Toppo from Madarihat in Alipurduar; Sanat Dey from Naihati; Sk Rabiul Islam from Haroa in North 24 Parganas; Falguni Singhababu from Taldangra in Bankura; and Sujoy Hazra from Medinipur in Paschim Medinipur district. Notably, Sk Rabiul Islam is the son of the late Haji Nurul Islam, former MLA of Haroa, who contested and won the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat earlier this year and passed away a month ago.
The BJP has nominated Rupak Mitra for Naihati; Bimal Das for Haroa; Rahul Lohar for Madarihat; Subhajit Roy for Medinipur; Ananya Roy Chakraborty for Taldangra; and Dipak Kumar Roy for Sitai. The Left Front and the Congress party have fielded candidates separately for the bypolls. The Left Front, however, is supporting the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) candidate from Naihati, while the CPI(ML) is supporting Left Front candidates in the other five seats.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the TMC chairperson, urged the people to vote for her party's candidates, particularly in north Bengal, on Monday. She emphasized the importance of these bypolls in demonstrating the people's support for the Trinamool Congress and its commitment to development. With the outcome of these bypolls, the Trinamool Congress aims to solidify its position in the state and showcase its electoral strength.
Source: Bypoll for six Assembly seats in West Bengal on November 13