In addition to announcing the dates for elections to the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assemblies, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday also notified dates for bypolls to two Lok Sabha constituencies and 48 assembly constituencies.
Of the assembly seats going to the ballots, six are located in West Bengal. Byelections will be held at Sitai (SC), Madarihat (ST), Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, and Taldangra on November 13. The results will be declared on November 23 along with the results of the other elections.
So, why were by-polls made necessary to these assembly segments in West Bengal? Let’s take a look.
Sitai (SC): In the northern Bengal district of Cooch Behar, the reserved constituency of Sitai was won by first-timer Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia of the ruling Trinamool Congress in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. In a bipolar contest against the BJP’s Dipak Kumar Roy, Basunia secured over 49 per cent vote. His rival managed 45.18 per cent votes.
However, the Sitai MLA was fielded by Mamata Banerjee’s party in this year’s Lok Sabha polls from Cooch Behar, which includes the Sitai assembly segment. In the Parliamentary polls, Basunia maintained his record of winning on his debut as he defeated the incumbent and former Union Minister Nisith Pramanik of the BJP. Thus, Sitai was left vacant and in need of a new legislator.
Madarihat (ST): This seat in Alipurduar district was retained by the BJP’s Manoj Tigga in the last assembly elections in 2021. He garnered over 54 per cent votes, defeating Trinamool’s Rajesh Lakra who managed around 36 per cent votes. Similar to Sitai’s Basunia, Tigga was also chosen by his party to contest the parliamentary polls earlier this year.
The then BJP MLA successfully made his way to Delhi from Alipurduar after defeating the TMC’s Prakash Chik Baraik in a close race. Madarihat, part of Alipurduar Lok Sabha seat, now seeks a new MLA. This promises to be an interesting contest, with the BJP striving to retain control while the TMC aiming for its first victory in Madarihat.
Naihati: Trinamool Congress’s Partha Bhowmick had completed his hat-trick by winning from North 24 Parganas’ Naihati in the 2021 polls. He secured 50 per cent of the votes to beat the BJP’s Falguni Patra who got about 38 per cent votes. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bhowmick was nominated by the TMC from Barrackpore, which includes the assembly segment of Naihati.
The former irrigation and waterways minister of West Bengal got better of the BJP’s Arjun Singh to become Barrackpore’s new MP. As a result, Naihati, a stronghold of the TMC and Bhowmick’s bastion, is now looking for a new legislator.
Haroa: In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, TMC’s Haji Sk. Nurul Islam had won a landslide victory in Haroa by pocketing more than 57 per cent votes. The Indian Secular Front’s Kutubuddin Fathe, who came a distant second, managed about 21 per cent votes.
Islam, a veteran politician, was fielded by the TMC from the Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency, within which Haroa falls, in the 2024 polls. He maintained his record of registering landslide victories as he received more than 8 lakh votes, defeating the BJP’s Rekha Patra in the process. Haroa has been lying vacant since then.
Unfortunately, Islam passed away on September 25 this year, necessitating byelections to Basirhat as well. Although the bypoll dates to this North 24 Parganas Lok Sabha seat have not yet been announced by the ECI.
Medinipur: Trinamool’s June Maliah had won a commanding victory in the Medinipur assembly segment in 2021, giving the Mamata Banerjee-led party its third straight victory there. Maliah got over 50 per cent votes to beat the BJP’s Shamit Dash. She was nominated by the party to contest the Medinipur Lok Sabha seat in 2024.
The actor-turned-politician lived up to her party’s confidence as she pulled off a victory against the BJP's Agnimitra Paul. Maliah’s election to the Parliament left the Medinipur assembly seat vacant.
Taldangra: Arup Chakraborty of the TMC had won from Bankura district’s Taldangra in the 2021 elections. He managed over 46 per cent votes and defeated the BJP’s Shyamal Kumar Sarkar. Chakraborty then contested the 2024 parliamentary polls from Bankura. He edged past the BJP’s incumbent Subhas Sarkar in a closely contested race, leaving Taldangra vacant.