First phase of NB polls begins tomorrow

SNS, Siliguri, 15 April: The first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in four parliamentary constituencies in the three north Bengal districts of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling will be held on 17 April amid tight security.

While administrative officials under the guidance of the Election Commission are preparing to hold the elections, more than six million people are all ready to exercise their franchise and decide on the fate of political party candidates.

Except for Darjeeling, three other seats were under the control of the Left Front since it came to power in 1977. It may be noted that the 16th general elections will be held during a different state dispensation (Trinamul Congress) in West Bengal for the first time in three decades.Though the Left Front is trying hard to retain all its seats in this region, after achieving ‘tremendous’ success in the panchayat and municipal polls in the state, the ruling party is also hopeful of capturing those seats, which are under the control of the LF after the 2009 LS polls.

In 2009, the GJMM-backed BJP candidate Jaswant Singh captured the Darjeeling LS seat, but the Left Front had been able to retain three seats in Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri, while the Trinamul had bagged many seats in south Bengal.In Cooch Behar, Forward Bloc candidate Nripendra Nath Roy (AIFB) won the LS seat by securing 44.66 per cent votes and by defeating Trinamul candidate Arghya Roy Pradhan, who obtained 41.65 per cent vote. BJP candidate Bhabendranath Barman had managed 5.83 percent votes.

In Cooch Behar, voters are expecting a four-cornered contest among Dipak Kumar  Ray (AIFB), Hem Chandra Barman (BJP), Keshab Chandra Ray (INC) and Renuka Sinha (AITC).

There are 16, 08,902 electors in Cooch Behar, 7, 62,999 of them female, while six persons belong to the ‘others’ category. 

In Alipurduar LS seat, RSP candidate Manohar Tirkey won the polls in 2009 by obtaining 41 per cent votes, while the Trinamul Congress candidate Paban Kumar Lakara bagged 29.14 percent votes. Notably, GJMM supporters backed BJP candidate Manoj Tiggar, who obtained 21.40 percent votes then.

This time, four main candidates Birendra Oraon (BJP), Dasrath Tirkey (AITC), Joseph Munda (INC) and Manohar Tirkey (RSP) are contesting the polls for the Alipurduar seat. A total 14, 64,809 electors will decide the fate of these four candidates. Of them, 7,122,262 are female voters.

In 2009, the Jalpaiguri LS seat was also under the Left Front when Mahendra Kumar Roy (CPI-M) won the seat by obtaining 45.54 percent votes, and Trinamul-backed Congress candidate Sukhbilas Barma had managed 35.97 percent votes. Notably, BJP candidate Dwipendra Nath Pramanik managed 9.15 percent votes. Four main candidates, Bijay Chandra Barman (AITC), Mahendra Kumar Roy (CPIM), Satyalal Sarkar (BJP) and Sukhbilas Barma (INC) are in the fray this time around.A total of 15, 25, 379 voters, including 7, 32, 765 females, are set to exercise their franchise in Jalpaiguri.