Strongman Arjun aims to decimate rivals

Kolkata: All eyes will be on `Singhjee' and his formidable poll machinery here. Bhatpara's uncrowned monarch Arjun Singh, a three-time Trinamool MLA, also a candidate now, has to play a key role to ensure a Trinamool win in at least six constituencies in this industrial belt.

A party veretan, Singhjee's writ runs across 1,062 booths hemming Barrackpore, Bijpur, Jagaddal, Naihati and Noapara, apart from his own Bhatpara. Sources claimed that it was under Singhjee's leadership that the TMC-Congress combine bagged these assembly segments in 2011. Besides, he played a crucial role which ensured the Trinamool's win in all three zilla parishad seats and 24 panchayat samiti seats in the Barrackpore parliamentary constituency . Also, all eight municipalities -Halisahar, Naihati, Kanchrapara, Bhatpara, Garulia, North Barrackpore, Barrackpore and Titagarh -were won by TMC in 2015.

In the past three assembly elections, Singh's vote share against his rival candidate increased progressively . In 2001, he had won the seat by 16,798 votes; in 2006, the margin was 28, 676; his win margin in 2011 was 44,000. The only blot was in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, in which Singh lost by 2,515 votes.“An aberation“, he claims.“This time the margin will be 70,000,“ he said on Sunday .

But Singh is perhaps facing a tougher test than he makes it out to be, thanks to personal squabbles in the home front -his bête noire Mukul Roy is back in the saddle, and he has restive voters to contend with.

Singh, to his credit, had stuck to a poll script with ruthless efficiency, which had been perfected by CPM strongman Tarit Topdar since the 1970s.This has also created a sense of disquiet. “Bhatpara, Kanchrapara, Kakinara, Jagaddal have always been safe havens for criminals. Gun-wielding miscreants often indulge in street fights. Crude bombs are as readily available here as gutka and paan,“ said a cable operator from Jagaddal, who is forced to shell money to extortionists.

Singh is also pitted against a good opponent this time. Jitendra Shaw, an independent candidate supported by the Left-Congress alliance, is a local. All opposition leaders are campaigning in his support. As a former CPM councillor from ward No. 8 in Bhatpara municipality, he had done good work, said local trader Kanhayia Shaw . But Singh is not perturbed. “ As an MLA, I have done well. I am confident that most people wouldn't think twice before casting their votes in my favour. Nobody is a factor. I will definitely supervise the polls on Monday ,“ he said.