Development pitch vs civic anger: Hwh looks for answers

Howrah: As BJP prepares to try and dent one of the Trinamool Congress citadels in south Bengal, Howrah is all set to witness a poll battle between a set of hopefuls from the saffron brigade who have consistently increased their vote share here since 2014 and a battle-hardened Trinamool organisation that has delivered each time the party needed them to step up.The contest is unfolding against the promise of infrastructure development and assured social welfare gains juxtaposed with the backdrop of deep-seated civic discontent, allegations of criminal syndicates, and a special revision of electoral rolls that has seen over 3,23,141 urban Howrah voters being excluded, significantly altering the urban demographic and political equilibrium.Development and social security schemes remain the main pitch for Trinamool yet again. The party has fielded seasoned heavyweights across the district. In Howrah Central, outgoing minister Arup Roy is defending his seat against BJP's Biplab Mondal. Roy wished to continue development on behalf of Didi. "Since Howrah does not have a medical college, I plan to develop one here. It can happen only when Didi returns to power," Roy said, dismissing his opponents' criticisms as "daydreams".In Shibpur, the party has fielded Rana Chattopadhyay, a former Bally MLA, after replacing outgoing minister Manoj Tiwari. In Bally itself, Trinamool has nominated its youth president Kailash Mishra, who faces Sanjay Singh. Mishra has promised a master plan for drainage to combat waterlogging and garbage accumulation.At the centre of the opposition's poll narrative is the Howrah Municipal Corporation, which has been largely inactive since 2018, creating what many describe as a governance vacuum.Actor-turned-politician Rudranil Ghosh, the BJP candidate for Shibpur, has been harping on the same. Ghosh noted that for the past 15 years, basic infrastructure has steadily deteriorated. "Illegal sale of water bodies, uncollected garbage, rat infestation and poor traffic management have made daily life difficult. During the monsoon, severe waterlogging leads to rising cases of dengue, malaria and skin infections," he alleged.The BJP has also seized upon the syndicate-induced violence, with Bally candidate Sanjay Singh asserting: "If we come to power, we will make Bally fear-free."The contest in Howrah North sees Trinamool's Gautam Chowdhury up against BJP's Umesh Rai. Rai is banking on the city's 25% Hindi-speaking population and has promised to prioritise women's safety and institutional development. In Howrah South, outgoing MLA Nandita Chowdhury is facing BJP's Shyamal Hati.The 3.2 lakh change in the vote bank due to the SIR has added a layer of unpredictability to the race, with seats like Howrah North (75,033) and Howrah South (69,264) witnessing the district's highest deletions.
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