A polarisation strategy is at work in the three north Bengal constituencies of Darjeeling, Raiganj and Jalpaiguri that to polls in the second phase on April 18. And the key words are infiltration, NRC and the citizenship bill.
The major rivals here — Trinamool and BJP — are desperate to tilt the scales in their favour, prompting the EC to scale up the strength of the security forces for the second phase. Mamata Banerjee wants to counter these new buzzwords with ‘linguistic nationalism’, taking on board both Bengali Hindus and Muslims. She is also wooing the Bihari community and Gorkhas discriminated against in BJP-ruled Assam.
The prestigious Darjeeling seat will not be a hills versus plains affair anymore that worked in favour of BJP’s Jaswant Singh and SS Ahluwalia in 2009 and 2014. The current BJP candidate, Raju Singh Bista, has to bank on votes from Matigara and Phansidewa in the foothills as well as Siliguri while ‘bhumiputra’ Trinamool candidate Amar Singh Rai is eying a massive lead from Uttar Dinajpur’s Chopra assembly segments that come under Darjeeling constituency. Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee has appealed to voters in Siliguri not to “waste” their votes on Congress and CPM that had a combined 22% vote share in 2014.
But Trinamool will be wary that Gorkhas are yet to get over the 2017 police crackdown during the 104-day standoff with the state in support of Gorkhaland.
A more bruising battle, however, awaits candidates in the plains, at Raiganj, where Deepa Dasmunsi of Congress and CPM’s sitting MP Mohammad Salim are contesting. BJP’s 18.3% vote share in 2014 compared to CPM’s 28.6% and Cong’s 28.5% has buoyed the saffron party, which has adopted a different strategy for this constituency.
BJP is trying to maximise the support of Hindu voters hoping that the 46% minority votes will be divided between Congress, Trinamool and CPM. Trinamool is better placed in Jalpaiguri though BJP has a toehold in two of the total seven assembly segments—Mekhliganj and Dhupguri. BJP-RSS have also made dents in the Mal assembly constituency in the Dooars reserved for scheduled tribes. Trinamool’s prospects depend on how far CPM can retain its 32.60% vote share in 2014.
The major rivals here — Trinamool and BJP — are desperate to tilt the scales in their favour, prompting the EC to scale up the strength of the security forces for the second phase. Mamata Banerjee wants to counter these new buzzwords with ‘linguistic nationalism’, taking on board both Bengali Hindus and Muslims. She is also wooing the Bihari community and Gorkhas discriminated against in BJP-ruled Assam.
The prestigious Darjeeling seat will not be a hills versus plains affair anymore that worked in favour of BJP’s Jaswant Singh and SS Ahluwalia in 2009 and 2014. The current BJP candidate, Raju Singh Bista, has to bank on votes from Matigara and Phansidewa in the foothills as well as Siliguri while ‘bhumiputra’ Trinamool candidate Amar Singh Rai is eying a massive lead from Uttar Dinajpur’s Chopra assembly segments that come under Darjeeling constituency. Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee has appealed to voters in Siliguri not to “waste” their votes on Congress and CPM that had a combined 22% vote share in 2014.
But Trinamool will be wary that Gorkhas are yet to get over the 2017 police crackdown during the 104-day standoff with the state in support of Gorkhaland.
A more bruising battle, however, awaits candidates in the plains, at Raiganj, where Deepa Dasmunsi of Congress and CPM’s sitting MP Mohammad Salim are contesting. BJP’s 18.3% vote share in 2014 compared to CPM’s 28.6% and Cong’s 28.5% has buoyed the saffron party, which has adopted a different strategy for this constituency.
BJP is trying to maximise the support of Hindu voters hoping that the 46% minority votes will be divided between Congress, Trinamool and CPM. Trinamool is better placed in Jalpaiguri though BJP has a toehold in two of the total seven assembly segments—Mekhliganj and Dhupguri. BJP-RSS have also made dents in the Mal assembly constituency in the Dooars reserved for scheduled tribes. Trinamool’s prospects depend on how far CPM can retain its 32.60% vote share in 2014.
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