BONGAON: Identity politics in the Matua heartland in North 24 Parganas has taken a turn for the worse with All India Matua Mahasangha demanding that BJP and Trinamool Congress give tickets to Mahasangha office-bearers instead of individual members of the community.
Former minister and pradhan sebayat Manjul Krishna Thakur had sent to BJP a list of 30 Mahasangha members for poll tickets, claiming a larger stake in Bengal politics when Matua votes decide fates of candidates in all seven assembly seats under Bongaon parliamentary constituency — Bongaon Uttar and Dakshin, Bagda, Gaighata, Swarupnagar in North 24 Parganas, and Kalyani, Haringhata in Nadia — to say the least.
“We feel let down. We wanted 30 Mahasangha candidates this time. None has got a ticket. This has caused resentment among Matuas. We are leaving it to them to vote for whichever party they like,” Manjul said, a day after Union home minister Amit Shah promised citizenship to all refugees, pension scheme for Matua seniors, scholarship for undergraduate and postgraduate students from the community, and to rename Thakurnagar railway station as Sridham Thakurnagar. The wrangle in Thakurbari - which controls the Mahasangha - may have prompted BJP to stop short of naming candidates for Bongaon Uttar, Bagda and Gaighata assembly seats.