Royalty Vs History: BJP Fields Amrita Roy As Its Candidate In Krishnanagar (image-facebook/Amrita Roy)

The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded Amrita Riya as its candidate from Krishnanagar seat in West Bengal. Roy’s candidateship was confirmed in the BJP’s fifth list of 111 candidates. She will take on Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra.

Amrita Roy belongs to the royal family of Krishnanagar and is the ‘Rajmata of the Rajbari’( Queen mother of the royal palace). Her candidateship was confirmed just days after rumors were rife that the saffron party would field a member of the royal family against TMC’s Moitra. 

Roy joined the party on March 20 this year. As per the media report, the district leadership suggested nominating a candidate from the royal family. A candidate from the royal family will connect Maharaja Krishna Chandra Roy’s name directly with politics- whose legacy is known and celebrated even today in the state. 

The atmosphere in the constituency has been politically charged for some time now. And it is one of the constituencies which is being keenly watched. By fielding Amrita Roy or ‘Rani Ma’, the political slugfest in the constituency has turned out to be like a history lesson being revisited.

The TMC narrative is that Raja Krishnachandra Ray sided with the British when Siraj-ud-Daulah was fighting against them in the Battle of Plassey (Palashi) in 1757.   

It paved the way for British rule in Bengal and India. To this, Amrita Roy famously responded that it was because of the torture of Siraj-ud-Daulah.  

According to the report, as many as 21 candidates fighting the Lok Sabha election in West Bengal’s eight constituencies, which are going for polls in the fourth phase with most of them having assets of more than Rs 1 crore, BJP’s Amrita Roy is the richest.