West Bengal: TMC Nominates Naihati MLA Partha Bhowmick From Barrackpore (image-facebook/Partha Bhowmick)

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has fielded Naihati MLA and senior minister Partha Bhowmick to contest elections from the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency for the upcoming general elections.

Partha Bhowmick is the Secretary of West Bengal Vidhan Sabha Parisad as well as the district president of the North 24 Parganas of TMC. Mr. Bhowmick is a postgraduate in commerce from Rishi Bankim Chandra Evening College, University of Calcutta, in 1986–87.

During the unfolding of the Sandeshkhali incident, Bhowmick visited the region in North 24 Parganas and claimed that the assault allegations were fake. However, Mr. Bhowmick added that the lands that were allegedly grabbed from the locals would be given back to them, ensuring that those responsible for land grabbing would be removed from the party.

Comprising a significant population of jute workers, the constituency is dominated by Hindi-speaking people.

Until 2009, the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat was passed around by the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Congress. However, from 2009 until 2014, TMC made its entry with former Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Trivedi, who proceeded to lose against former TMC and present BJP candidate Arjun Singh, who won with 4.7 lakh votes. Singh jumped ship to join the saffron party after the TMC denied him a ticket, marking the fourth time Singh has switched between the two parties.

West Bengal’s Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency comprises Vidhan Sabha, including Amdanga, Bijpur, Naihati, Bhatpara, Jagatdal, and Noapara. Apart from Bhatpara (under the BJP), all the rest of the of the assembly segments are under the TMC flag. The Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency has a voter base comprising 25.82 percent Muslims, 21.7 percent SCs, and 2.6 percent STs, according to the 2011 census.