Didi seeks forgiveness & votes in Mangalkote

MANGALKOTE: In 2011 assembly polls, Trinamool's Mongalkote block president Apurba Choudhury lost to Sahajahan Choudhury by just 124 votes. But in 2016, Mamata Banerjee did not give a ticket to either Achol or his rival, zilla parishad member Bikash Choudhury . Instead, she chose Jamat-e-Ulema Hind leader Siddiqulla Choudhury to fight from the seat.

The fate of Mangalkote, however, continues to rest on however, continues to rest on Apurba Choudhury alias Achol. Lately, even Mamata has realized that and on Sunday, she urged him to become active in the election campaign. "If I have committed some mistakes, please forgive me and remember that I am the candidate in Mangalkote and not Siddiqulla Choudhury. Hope that you will not turn away from me this time. Last time, Achol had lost by a wafer-thin margin and I want to take him to greater heights," she told the gathering.

Days before the polls were announced, Achol's supporters, led by Jharna Ghosh and Haider Seikh, had met Anubrata Mondal and urged him not to nominate Siddiqulla Choudhury and allow Achol to contest a second time. But with Kalighat going with Choudhury , the Achol camp has stayed away from election activity , giving the Opposition an edge.

Prior to 2011, Mangalkote was in the headlines as one of the most trouble-torn areas in the state. It was here in 2009 that CPM zilla Parishad member Falguni Mukherjee was killed. Thereafter, CPM supporters looted houses of Trinamool workers and torched them. Hordes of people evacuated villages in fear. One of the most enduring images of those troubled times captured on television was that of terror-stricken Congress MLA Manas Bhuniya running through paddy fields for life. Now that Congress and CPM have joined hands, Bhuniya has become the `poster boy' in Choudhury's campaign. "We are reminding people of Manas Bhuniya's terror to expose the duality of Congress. We are telling people that voting for CPM will bring violence back in Mangalkote," Choudhury said.

Notwithstanding Choudhury's warnings, Congress supporters like Amar Pal, Samar Pal and Rabi Pal, whose houses were torched by CPM in 2009, have returned to the village and are campaigning for CPM candidate Sahajahan Choudhury . They view Trinamool as a threat to the fragile peace. Durjodhan Sar, CPM zonal secretary of AjoyBhagirathi, claimed the alliance will easily retain the seat if people get to vote. "Our only fear is Anubarata Mondal, who may use muscle power on polling day to wrest this seat. Otherwise, we are sure of winning," he said. CPM has consistently won the seat since 1977.

BJP candidate Gopal Chatterjee is nowhere in the contest though the party bagged over 4% vote share in the 2011 assembly polls. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Trinamool Congress took a lead of over 24,000 votes.