Madan hopes to win back ‘lost’ seat, BJP points at civic apathy

KOLKATA: Madan Mitra’s campaign in

Kamarhati

has been raising a new slogan: “Na mein Hindu, na mein Mussalman, sabse pehle mein ek insaan”. This time, the Trinamool veteran is up against two mammoth challenges—first, the growing religious and caste divide among voters and second, the increasing dissatisfaction even among staunch Didi-supporters over Kamarhati Municipality’s poor performance.

Madan, a seasoned politician who has a separate fan base, is making every possible effort to clinch the turf a second time after 2011. In the last assembly election, he could not be part of the campaign as he was implicated in a

Ponzi

muddle though his family and party workers canvassed for him. Madan lost to Manas Mukherjee of CPM. “In 2016, I contested from this seat. The team and jersey were present. But, the captain was absent,” he said.

In the 2019 LS elections, the party made up for the loss and handed a lead of 17,725 votes to MP Sougata Ray in Dum Dum from Kamarhati assembly segment. This time, Mitra has been holding rallies, some with celebrities, including Dev, Mahima Chaudhry and Soham.

But residents seemed upset with the poor

infrastructure

of the area. “Civic amenities of Kamaharti municipality are pathetic and roads are encroached upon. There is a drinking water problem in multiple areas and the drainage system is in a shambles. Every monsoon, several wards go under water for several days,” said Anirban Brahma, a resident of Feeder Road. CPM candidate Sayandeep Mitra pointed out he had got complaints about poor municipal facilities. “I have visited homes, where even in April, the water has not receded. Voters are terrified and alleged real-estate promoters are grabbing closed industrial plots. We have promised refugee colony residents will get government documents to prove their ownership. These people are living in fear as Trinamool leaders are threatening them with eviction and BJP pointing to detention camps,” he added.

Sayandeep rued that the outgoing MLA, Manas Mukherjee, was not given a free hand to improve the area. “Though Kamarhati has been a strong Left bastion except in 2011, Manas-Da was restricted from discharging his duties as most of civic work was done by the municipality, in control of Trinamool,” claimed Sayandeep, a young face of the alliance. Aware of the poor performance of the civic body—it has 31 wards—Madan said he aimed to improve the infrastructure. “I have promised to set up a garment hub, which will employ 20,000 people. The local youth will benefit from the project. CM Mamata Banerjee has given the go-ahead to the proposal and we have identified a few plots. Teacher recruitment and building affordable English-medium schools are on the to-do list,” said the former Trinamool minister.

Madan has been trying to bridge the divide among communities and religions in Kamarhati. Claiming he had registered mosques in his tenure, he said, “I have also set up several temples, that of Jagannatha, Laxmi and Durga. Now, the crossing is known as Mandir Marg,” said Madan, who was instrumental in setting up Sagore Dutta Medical College.

Both Madan and Sayandeep were vocal about “outsiders” being brought in from Titagarh and Barrackpore before the election on Saturday. “It is a ploy to create trouble on the polling day,” said Sayandeep. But BJP candidate, Anindya Banerjee, popularly known as Raju, denied the allegation. “I will withdraw my candidature if they can prove my party’s involvement. I plan to restore peace in the constituency,” he said. Stating his priority was to remove political interference from local clubs he said, “Reopening closed industrial units, facilitating employment for the youth, and improving civic amenities are on my agenda.” He insisted a “double-engine government” would benefit people.


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