BJP Candidate Debasree To Contest In TMC Stronghold, South Kolkata (image-facebook/Debasree Chaudhuri)

Debasree Chaudhuri is fielded as the BJP candidate from Kolkata Dakshin constituency. She has earlier served as the Minister of State for Women and Child Development in the second Modi government. 

Debasree was elected to the 17th Lok Sabha from Raiganj constituency in West Bengal in the 2019 general election. 

Chaudhuri was born in Balurghat to Debidas Chaudhuri and Ratna Chaudhuri. As for her educational qualification, she has completed her Master of Arts from the University of Burdwan. 

Chaudhuri was previously the District Observer of BJP Kolkata South Suburban District till 2019. Shen won the 2019 general election from Raiganj by securing 5,11,652 votes. In May 2019, Chaudhuri became Minister of State for Women and Child Development.  

In 2016, Chaudhuri got arrested along with Baisnabnagar MLA Swadhin Kumar Sarkar and other local BJP leaders at a protest condemning comments made by Maulana Noor ur Rahman Barkati, the Shah Imam of the Tipu Sultan Mosque in Kolkata. 

This time, Chaudhuri is fielded against TMC MP Mala Roy. The interesting part is that the West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee won this seat in 1991 when she was with the Congress. 

Kolkata Dakshin is a predominantly urban seat and comprises seven assembly segments: Kasba, Behala East, Behala West, Kolkata Port, Bhowanipur, Rashbehari, and Ballygunge. 

In 1967, CPM candidate Jyotirmoy Ghosh emerged victorious, defeating Congress candidate BB Ghosh. 

Later the table turned in the 1971 election when Priya Ranjan Dashmunshi of the Congress defeated CPM’s Jyotirmoy Ghosh. 

Mamata Banerjee retained the seat after getting elected in 1991, in 2004 and 2009. After assuming the role of Chief minister of West Bengal, she vacated the seat.