An oversized sunglass, handloom cotton saree unique to Bengal, and a red bindi – in four months of being expelled over the alleged ‘cash for query’ case, Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra, an ex-MP from Krishnanagar, is again up and running as she seeks re-election from her old seat. Her campaigns are one of its kind to her rural electorate as they run to see their MP, a flashy politician and an ex-banker.
On the other hand, the voters in this historic town, that saw the fall of Bengal’s last independent nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah in the battle of Plassey (Palashi), now see their “Rani Ma”, Amrita Roy, whose family allied with the British and engineered the Nawab’s defeat, as the candidate for the BJP. The history and the controversy over the history about Raja Krishna Chandra Roy’s decision to ally with the British and help Mir Jafar to take down the Nawab, have got a fresh lease of life after the candidate was announced.
Roy is not a familiar face among the villagers and seen as an ‘inexperienced accidental’ politician. She belongs to the erstwhile royal family and is the wife of the descendent of Raja Krishna Chandra Roy, on whom the town was named.
The electoral battle here is interesting for several reasons not just because it is an elite vs royal fight. It is not even a fight between two candidates or two parties. The fight is unique because it is a fight between a candidate and a party. The battle lines are drawn between Mahua Moitra and the BJP.
Infighting, Resentment Over ‘Choice of Candidates’
The party workers feel ‘disappointed’ in their respective parties – Trinamool and BJP – over the choice of candidates. Moitra is seen and talked about as an ‘inaccessible arrogant’ leader, who is too ‘elitist’ to be an MP from a constituency, that is a combination of urban and rural segments, said a senior party leader of Nadia.
“She has brought her own team, they are campaigning on social media, making reels. She is also campaigning across segments, but we do not feel attached to her. Whatever we are doing, we are doing for our Didi. If she wins, which we will try to ensure, it will be for Didi, and her development,” said the leader pleading anonymity.
“She was never cordial with local leaders and workers. We know that an MP’s main duty is to speak in Parliament. But she hardly spoke for the people or for the party. She always served her own interests and brought trouble for the party. We are looking forward to the two workers’ meeting that Didi would hold here,” added the leader.
Ujjwal Biswas, a cabinet minister and senior leader from the district, told News18, “The workers’ resentment is nothing new. Choosing a candidate is entirely a party decision. I think it is unfair to expect an MP to reach out to or attend to every party worker.”
The political scene is not different in the BJP camp as well. Amrita Roy is not a familiar face among the people living in the seven segments here. Trinamool won six of seven assembly constituencies in 2021. In 2019, the party had led in some of the assembly segments including Krishnagar with over 54,000 votes. That was the highest lead for BJP across the seven segments and it also brought down the winning margin of Mahua Moitra. Moitra won Krishnanagar by a margin of around 70,000 votes. However, the party fielded a new but an active candidate, said a local BJP leader.
“Rani Ma does not know the local leaders and workers. She has direct access to the senior central leadership. Her family runs several temples and schools in and around Krishnanagr, and that is how she is popular among a section of villagers. But we are worried about segments like Nakashipara, Palashi and Chapra. Muslims dominate all these areas,” he said.
Muslims and Matuas
The factors that dominate the electoral pattern in Krishnanagar continue to include Muslima and Matuas. Both the parties, BJP and Trinamool, tried to play out the controversial history of this area and the royal family for their political interests, but the controversy found little resonance on the ground.
It is clearly about ‘who did what’ for the voters. The Muslims in assembly segments like Nakashipara, Chapra and Tehatta have traditionally voted for CPM and Congress, however, the equation changed post the 2019 elections. Muslims consolidated in favour of Mamata Banerjee in 2021. However, violence played an important role post 2021 elections as the Muslims, who are seen as natural voters of Trinamool, now say that they are ‘disillusioned’.
Tajer Seikh, a farmer in Palashi, said, “We do not know the candidate. We work and vote for Didi. But, her party leaders are becoming so notorious and that leads to so much of resentment among our own voters as well. During the assembly and panchayat elections, the local goondas do not even allow our voters, our families to vote. Why? Why this atrocity?”
Sentu Mondal, another local Muslim leader, who fought the Panchayat elections, said, “We joined Trinamool from Congress, but this time we will not vote for Trinamool. The party workers are also restrained from voting. The local strongmen come and tell us that we do not need to venture out and vote. This is the situation here.”
Raja Mondal, a 25-year-old voter in Tehatta, who has applied for Agniveer and West Bengal police service, said, “The employment issues have been so irrelevant to the politicians, they do not want to talk about it. Who did what to whom 200 years ago is not relevant to us. Who betrayed whom and how British came is not something that we want to hear now, that is past.”
The constituency has a good share of Matuas in Krishnagar and Tehattta. The Gaudiya Samaj (Vaishnavites) and Matuas are firmly backing BJP. The CAA is a crucial factor among the Matuas as well.
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