Lok Sabha Election 2024: West Bengal Lok Sabha Phase - 7 Constituencies
As the country is set to go through phase 7 of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on June 1, 9 constituencies in West Bengal have also braced up for the last round of general elections this year.
The phase 7, West Bengal constituencies include Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, and Kolkata Uttar. Some key characteristics of these constituencies and the past year”s election trend reveal much about the future electoral outcomes here.
Dum Dum Lok Sabha Constituency: For several years the Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency remained a Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) stronghold. While Congress won in 1984 and BJP won in 1998 till 2004. In 2009, TMC candidate Prof Saugata Roy secured 4.5 lakh votes. Mr. Roy retained the seat in the subsequent Lok Sabha elections with a significant majority. With 5.1 lakh votes, the sitting Member of Parliament for the TMC won the 2019 election.
Under the TMC banner, the Vidhan Sabhas regions include Rajarhat Gopalpur, Panihati, Khardaha, Kamarhati, and Dum Dum Uttar. constitute the Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency. According to the 2011 census, there are 2.5 percent of voters in the constituency who are Muslims, 21.7 percent who are SC, and 2.6% of voters overall.
Barasat Lok Sabha Constituency:
The Barasat constituency comprises 7 assembly regions that include – Habra, Ashoknagar, Rajarhat New Town, Bidhannagar, Madhyamgram, and Deganga – all segments under the TMC flag. As per the 2011 census, the constituency has a significant portion of the Muslim population at 25.82 percent. A total of 21.7 percent are SC voters, and 2.6 percent are ST voters.
Basirhat Lok Sabha Constituency:
Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency comprises of 7 assembly regions including Baduria, Haroa, Minakhan, Sandeshkhali, Basirhat Dakshin, Basirhat Uttar, and Hingalganj – under TMC rule. From 1980 to 2009, the Basirhat constituency was a CPI stronghold and later a TMC. Here in 2019, Nusrat Jahan won the Basirhat seat on the TMC ticket with 54.56% votes and the BJP candidate secured 30.12% votes. In 2014, TMC”s Idris Ali secured 38.65% votes.
Basirhat is a general category parliament seat comprised part of North 24 Pargana district. The literacy rate of the Lok Sabha constituency is 76.01%. It has a significant proportion of Muslim and SC populations with 21.7% and 25.82% respectively.
Jaynagar Lok Sabha Constituency:
Earlier the Jaynagar constituency remained a Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) stronghold. In 2014 and 2019, TMC candidate Pratima Mondal secured victory with 4.9 lakh votes and 7.6 lakh votes respectively.
The Jaynagar Lok Sabha constituency comprises of 7 Vidhan Sabhas regions – Gosaba, Basanti, Kultali, Canning Paschim, Canning Purba, and Magrahat Purba. The Jaynagar constituency is an SC parliament seat with a significant Muslim population. According to the 2011 census, nearly 35.57 percent of voters are Muslim, 30.2 percent are SC voters, and 1.2 percent are ST voters.
Mathurapur Lok Sabha Constituency:
Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) maintained its dominance over the Mathurapur Lok Sabha constituency from 1967 to 1984, which was later retained by Congress and followed by CPI – M again for next five terms from 1989. In 2009, TMC candidate and now 85-year-old Choudhury Mohan Jatua shattered the winning streak of 25 years of the CPI (M). In the 2019 elections, Mr. Jatua secured 7.2 lakh votes, while BJP candidate Shyama Prasad Halder got 5.2 lakh votes.
Reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Mathurapur Lok Sabha constituency comprises of 7 assembly regions – Patharpratima, Kakdwip, Sagar, Kulpi, Raidighi, Mandirbazar (SC reserved), and Magrahat Paschim – all under TMCs. The Muslim community (35.57 percent) and SC population (30.2 percent) make up half the population in the constituency.
Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha Constituency:
The Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency comprises of assembly regions including Diamond Harbour, Falta, Satgachhia, Bishnupur, Maheshtala, Budge, and Metiaburuz – all under TMC. Earlier the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency has been a CPI (M) bastion for decades. However, since 2014, the parliament seat is won by Mamata Banerjee”s nephew Abhishek Banerjee. Abhishek Banerjee secured 791127 votes (46%) in the last elections while the BJP candidate secured 27% of the total votes.
Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency is a general category parliament seat with a significant 39.5% of muslim population. The SC and ST populations are 20.19% and 0.04%. The rural to urban population proportion is 78.83% and 21.18%.
Jadavpur Lok Sabha Constituency:
MPs from different political parties including CPI (M), Congress, and TMC have been elected from Jadavpur Lok Sabha seat in the past. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee have also won elections from Jadavpur.
2014 election result: TMC – Sugata Bose , CPI (M) – Sujan Chakraborty, Sarup Prasad Ghosh (BJP) secured first, second and third positions- TMC registered only a 1.99 percent increase in its vote share in 2019 in comparison to 2014
2019 election result: TMC – Mimi Chakraborty, BJP – Anupam Hazra, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya CPI, secured first, second and third positions – CPI registered a whopping 15% increment in its vote share in 2019 in comparison to 2014 and CPI registered a 15% decrement in its vote share in 2019 in comparison to 2014
Kolkata Dakshin Lok Sabha Constituency: It is a predominantly urban seat that comprises 7 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 in 1971 election 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. She vacated the seat after assuming the role of Chief minister.
Kolkata Uttar Lok Sabha Constituency: The constituency is represented by TMC MLAs in all its assemblies. In 2019 general election, Sudip Bandopadhyay secured 49.96 percent votes. This year BJP has fielded Tapas Roy from Kolkata Uttar who joined BJP after quitting TMC. Kolkata Uttar is a general category parliamentary seat with a 79.8% literacy rate and a significant Muslim population at 21.3%. The constituency is remarkable in terms of representing 100 percent Urban voters.
