New Delhi: In a high-profile urban contest, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Swapan Dasgupta is in the lead, with his nearest rival and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Debasish Kumar trailing by 5,600-plus votes in the Rashbehari Assembly constituency. Six out of a total 20 rounds of counting have been completed so far, at 12.45 pm.
Considered the “heart of Kolkata’’, Rashbehari is a key urban constituency and a traditional stronghold of the TMC. In the 2021 election, Kumar had defeated BJP candidate Lt. Gen. Subrata Saha by more than 21,000 votes.
The contest here is being closely watched as the BJP attempts to expand its footprint in the city. A direct contest between a seasoned TMC organisation man and a high-profile BJP face, the outcome in Rashbehari is expected to serve as a key indicator of urban political trends in Kolkata.
A journalist, author, and commentator-turned-politician, Swapna Dasgupta was nominated as a Rajya Sabha member in 2016. He resigned in March 2021 to enter electoral politics and contested the assembly polls that year from the Tarakeswar seat.
He lost by 7,484 votes to the TMC’s Ramendu Sinharay.
During the campaign in Rashbehari, Dasgupta outlined an urban-focused approach, promising redevelopment and cultural revival. His key proposals included revamping and better management of Kalighat, developing a “Bengal café and cultural district”, preservation of Rabindra Sarobar, and ending the alleged ‘syndicate raj’ in the city.
Dasgupta relied on support from urban middle-class voters, while also attempting to reach out to women voters, who form a significant portion of the constituency.
Sitting MLA and TMC candidate Debasish Kumar relied on the TMC’s welfare schemes like Lakshmir Bhandar, the flagship programme of the West Bengal government that provides monthly financial assistance to women from economically weaker sections.
The scheme has been a major outreach tool for the ruling party among women voters.
In the last assembly election, the BJP’s Subrata Saha lost by a margin of 21,414 votes, with the party securing 44,290 votes against the TMC’s 66,704.
Velamarthi Venkatachalam is a TPSJ alum, currently interning with ThePrint.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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