West Bengal Assembly election 2021, Tarakeswar profile: TMC's Rachhpal Singh won constituency in 2016 polls

Tarakeswar is an Assembly/Vidhan Sabha constituency in the Hooghly district of West Bengal. It falls under the Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency.

In the 2016 West Bengal Assembly election, the constituency had a total of 1,92,351 registered voters.

As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, Tarakeswar constituency is composed of Tarakeswar Municipality, Tarakeswar community development block, and Bhanderhati I, Bhanderhati II, Gopinathpur I, Gopinathpur II and Perambua Sahabazar gram panchayats of Dhaniakhali community development block.

Voter turnout in previous election

The voter turnout in Tarakeswar in the previous Assembly election was 83.95 percent.

Past election results and winners

In the 2016 Assembly polls, Rachhpal Singh of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) was declared the winner from the Tarakeswar seat. Singh secured 97,588 votes as against 69,898 votes received by closest rival Surajit Ghosh of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

In 2011 as well, the TMC retained the constituency. Singh was fielded against Pratim Chatterjee of the CPM. Chatterjee was the runner up after losing the electoral battle by a margin of 25,472 votes or 14.47 percent.

On 26 February, the Election Commission announced the schedule for Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry.

The voting will begin on 27 March, with Bengal having the maximum eight phases continuing till 29 April, the poll body had said.

The election will be held to elect a total of 294 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

The state is held by the AITC with an absolute majority, with Mamata Banerjee on her second consecutive term as chief minister. The ruling party is fighting a pitched battle with archrival BJP, while the Congress-led alliance is also a key player in the fray.