The Uluberia seat had been a CPM stronghold from 1980 till 2009, during which it was held by eight-time MP Hannan Mollah (Representational/ File)
The crucial Uluberia Lok Sabha and Noapara Assembly constituencies are set to go to bypoll on Monday. The Election Commission has deployed 30 CRPF companies in Uluberia and six in Noapara. The seats are significant as they will act as a testing ground for the ruling Trinamool Congress and opposition parties ahead of the 2018 panchayat polls. The bypolls were necessitated following the deaths of Sultan Ahmed, TMC MP from Uluberia and Madhusudan Ghose, Congress MLA in Noapara.
In Uluberia, which has a 54 per cent Muslim population, the Trinamool has fielded Sultan’s wife Sajda Ahmed. Political experts consider Muslim votes to be crucial in the constituency. Both CPM and Congress have chosen Muslim candidates. While the CPM is fielding its leader Sabiruddin Mollah, who had emerged second in the 2014 Uluberia election, the Congress has fielded Mudasor Warsi.
The Uluberia seat had been a CPM stronghold from 1980 till 2009, during which it was held by eight-time MP Hannan Mollah. However, he lost to Sultan Ahmed in 2009. In the 2014 election, Sultan had received 48.12 per cent votes while Mollah received 31.15 per cent votes.
The BJP has fielded a Hindu candidate — its Howrah (rural) district president Anupam Mallik. In 2014, the BJP had received only 11.56 per cent votes. Meanwhile, in Noapara, Congress MLA Madhusudan Ghosh had won the 2016 Assembly election with support from the Left Front. He had defeated Trinamool Congress candidate Manju Basu — who had won from Noapara in 2001 and 2011 — by a slim margin of 1,095 votes. Now, with the Left Front and Congress contesting separately, political observers say the odds favour TMC. The ruling party has fielded Garulia municipality chairman and Bhatpara MLA Arjun Singh’s relative Sunil Singh in Noapara.
The BJP has fielded its worker Sandeep Banerjee after facing embarrassment when it offered Trinamool member Manju Basu the chance to contest the bypoll on its ticket, only to be turned down. Banerjee had only managed to receive 120 votes in the previous Garulia municipality election.
CPM has fielded Gargi Chatterjee, whom experts call a “tough leader”. However, the party’s chances are limited by its poor organisational strength in the constituency, where it had last won in 2006. The Congress has fielded Gautam Basu, a councillor at Garulia municipality. The counting of votes will be held on February 1.