Kanthi Dakshin in Purba Medinipur district is currently represented by Arup Kumar Das of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. He won the 2021 election with 98,477 votes (51per cent vote share), defeating AITC's Jyotirmoy Kar's 88,184 votes (45per cent), by a margin of 10,293 votes. Key issues include urban infrastructure strain in Kanthi municipality and Kanthi-I CDB, road connectivity between GPs like Durmuth and Kusumpur, and drinking water supply amid rapid suburban growth. Flood control, health facilities, schools and local employment opportunities are prominent concerns in this semi-urban constituency with 11.15per cent SC population and 87.66per cent literacy. High voter turnout above 85per cent across three elections reflects political engagement. Arup Das flipped the seat from AITC's Adhikari Dibyendu (2011, 2016 wins with margins of 28,637 and 33,890 votes), ending family dominance after Suvendu Adhikari's 2006 victory. Kanthi Dakshin falls under Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency, retained by BJP's Soumendu Adhikari in 2024 by 47,764 votes. This BJP sweep from Assembly to Parliament marks a decisive shift from TMC's earlier control in southern Medinipur's coastal hub.