Saturday, May 18

Will TMC’s Expelled Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra Regain Krishnanagar?

Edited by Aishwarya Krishnan
Will TMC’s Expelled Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra Regain Her Krishnanagar Seat? (image-X/MahuaMoitra)

Known for her outspoken nature, fiery attitude, and sharp criticism of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, TMC candidate and expelled Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra has been nominated from the Lok Sabha constituency of Krishnanagar in West Bengal. The BJP has fielded its royal card by fielding ‘Rajmata of Rajbari’ Amrita Roy to oppose Moitra.

Born on October 12, 1974, in Labac, Assam, Moitra comes from a Bengali Hindu Brahmin family. Her academic journey took her to Gokhale Memorial Girls’ School in Kolkata, followed by earning a degree in economics and mathematics from Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, in 1998. Moitra’s professional background includes her lucrative position as the vice president of JPMorgan Chase, where she worked in New York City and London before making a pivotal decision in 2009 to enter Indian politics.

Moitra’s political career began with the Indian Youth Congress, where she played a vital role in Rahul Gandhi’s initiative “Aam Admi Ka Sipahi.” Subsequently, she joined the All-India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2010. Moitra secured victory in the 2016 Legislative Assembly elections from the Karimpur constituency in Nadia district. Later, she secured a seat in the 17th Lok Sabha from Krishnagar. Her maiden speech on the “seven early signs of fascism,” even as MPs tried to shout her down, created waves as she addressed the issue of religious freedom, dissent, and control of media for around 10 minutes.

In the 2019 elections, Moitra emerged victorious with 6.1 lakh votes, surpassing the BJP’s Kalyan Chaubey, who won 5.5 lakh votes. In November 2021, she was appointed as the TMC’s Goa in-charge.

Moitra has often been at the centre of controversy. In 2017, she filed a police complaint against BJP MP Babul Supriyo for allegedly “insulting her modesty,” although the case was dismissed later. Her remarks on various issues, including the sitting chief justice, Ranjan Gogoi, who was accused of sexual harassment, presiding his own trail and clearing his name, and his later entry into the Rajya Sabha, created uproars within the parliament.

In 2020, she faced a defamatory lawsuit from Zee Media, which she later won. More recently, Moitra was embroiled in the alleged ‘Cash for Query’ scandal, leading to her expulsion from the Lok Sabha in December 2023, a decision she has challenged in the Supreme Court.

Considered to be one of the fiercest critics of the BJP government, Moitra also made headlines for raising questions about the Hindenburg-Adani row, accusing the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the role of the ruling government of protecting Gautam Adani by covering up his actions.

On December 8, 2023, Moitra was expelled from Parliament following the tabling of a report by the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee in a “cash-for-query” case. After being accused by BJP MLA Nishikant Dubey of accepting bribes from Darshan Hiranandani, son of Indian billionaire Niranjan Hiranandani, in exchange for raising questions about targeting the Adani Group via her parliamentary portal, she allegedly violated parliamentary rules. Following the recent summons by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) case, Moitra chose to skip it for campaigning in Krishnanagar constituency.

Established in 1967, the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal’s Nadia district comprises Vidhan Sabhas such as Tehatta, Palashipara, Kaliganj, Nakashipara, Chapra, Krishnanagar City North, and City South. All the legislative segments fall under the TMC flag.