West Bengal elections: Identity politics in Vijay-vs-Vijay poll fight

KOLKATA: Identity politics is re-scripting the Vijay-versus-Vijay fight in Jorasanko this time, a coincidence that brings to mind the many roles played by Amitabh Bachchan in his movies in the 1970s and 1980s.

But beyond the shared name, this is a contest shaped by local history, diversities, shifting loyalties, religion-based politics and everyday concerns in a constituency that has been a cradle of Bengal Renaissance and is a business hub. The constituency has also seen one of the highest voter deletions among Kolkata assembly constituencies, totalling 77,993.




Trinamool has fielded Vijay Upadhyay, a two-time councillor, replacing sitting MLA Vivek Gupta while BJP's Vijay Ojha is a three-time councillor from ward 23.

Local observers say it has long been a stronghold of Trinamool Congress. The party has held the seat since 2001 and won in 2021 by 12,700 votes. Still, the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections showed signs of change, with the BJP moving ahead in several wards in the constituency, helped by support from a section of non-Bengali and Bengali voters. In the 2024 LS poll, BJP won seven out of 11 wards and held a lead of 7,401 votes.

Upadhyay said, "There is no space for divisiveness in Jorasanko or anywhere in Bengal. I am focusing on what I will do if I win. First, all the religious places in the constituency, regardless of religion, will be developed so that devotion becomes stronger and people can visit and offer prayers comfortably." He added,

"Religion is in my character and people know that. I am more religious than others. Since I am from UP, the large voter base from UP, Bihar and Jharkhand will turn towards me."

Among his other major focuses are reviving the neighbourhood schools that have low student strength. "I will revive the schools with low student numbers and turn them into English medium schools with smart classes just like what I have done in ward 20. Apart from these, I will focus on issues like waterlogging, garbage and illegal parking," he added.

Ojha, on the other hand, has built a base among traders and Hindi-speaking voters in his ward and will attract significant Marwari votes since he is from Rajasthan, said a local source, adding, for BJP, the aim is to build on 2019 and 2024 gains and push further in an assembly poll where it has so far fallen short.

"People have given Trinamool 15 years for the development of the area, but it did nothing. I request voters to give BJP one chance this time," said Ojha. He shared that TMC is repeatedly changing faces. "I have been a three-time councillor and want to work for the development of the area, people and the state. We are already aware of the condition of our state under the TMC govt — from the R G Kar incident to lack of safety for women, unemployment and job scams. I am sure that people will vote for change."

SUCI(C) candidate Ansuman Mitra, a doctor, said, "Jorasanko, being adjacent to both Howrah and Sealdah stations, is one of Kolkata's major, thickly populated entry points. Yet the roads are throttled by illegal parking, littered with garbage, spilling vats, poor drainage, waterlogging problems, and open electric poles converting lanes into infernos."

Jorasanko boasts of Rabindranath Tagore's ancestral home and houses landmarks such as Sadharon Brahmo Samaj, Raja Rammohan Roy's house and Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar's house on Amherst Street. The cultural heritage blends with commercial life as it has major trading hubs — Burrabazar, Posta and Canning Street to the iconic ‘Boi Para'.

The constituency spans 11 wards, five with sizeable Muslim populations, alongside smaller Chinese and Anglo Indian groups. It has a sizeable Bengali population and Hindi-speaking people from UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand.
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