Constituency watch: High margin in 2019, parliamentary performance of sitting MP keeps BJP ahead at Jalpaiguri

Kolkata: As Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal is going to polls in the first phase on April 19, certain factors are keeping the sitting BJP Lok Sabha MP and the re-nominated candidate, Dr Jayanta Kumar Roy, ahead of his rivals.

First is Dr Roy’s winning margin of 1,84,404 and the 50.65 per cent votes polled by him in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as against the Trinamool Congress’candidate Bijoy Chandra Burman, who came second and secured 38.39 per cent of the votes polled.

The second factor is Dr Roy’s success in highlighting the problems of the people of his constituency in Parliament and seeking remedies.

Be it permission for Jalpaiguri Medical College & Hospital or central grants for the Calcutta High Court’s Jalpaiguri circuit Bench or extension of the prestigious Darjeeling mail, Dr Roy’s constant negotiations with the Centre have made him popular as an MP.

The third advantage for him is the lack of political experience of the Trinamool Congress candidate from Jalpaiguri, Nirmal Chandra Roy. Although he is a sitting ruling party legislator from Dhupguri Assembly constituency, one of the seven under Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha, he has legislative experience of less than a year as he got elected in the bypolls there in mid-2023.

Like most ruling party candidates, the face of Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, and the projections of welfare activities by the state government are the principal talking points of Nirmal Chandra Roy’s campaign this time.

Also in the poll fray is CPI(M) youth leader and teacher, Debraj Barman. His door-to-door campaign strategy is unique, and he is even reaching the doorsteps of people with affiliation to the Trinamool Congress or BJP, seeking their blessings and support.

Jalpaiguri Lok Sabha constituency had been a traditional Red bastion with the people there giving nine-consecutive victories to CPI(M) candidates between 1980 and 2009.

Even in the midst of the massive Trinamool Congress wave during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the CPI(M) candidate from Jalpaiguri, Mahendra Kumar Roy got elected from there by a comfortable margin of over 80,000 votes.

In 2014, Trinamool Congress made its first-ever dent at Jalpaiguri with the party candidate Bijoy Chandra Barman winning by a margin of around 70,000 votes.

The equation changed again in 2019, with the BJP candidate winning by a good margin.

The voter strength of Jalpaiguri is around 14 lakh. The economy and the livelihood of the people are dependent on the three “T”s of “team-timber-tourism.”

Man-elephant conflict, which is a regular feature there, is a problem for people residing in different pockets of the constituency.