In a closely contested by-election, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) emerged victorious in the Dhupguri assembly seat in north Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, wresting it from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by a margin of 4,313 votes. This electoral battle was not just about a single seat but offered a snapshot of the evolving political dynamics in West Bengal and beyond.
The Dhupguri bypoll, held on September 5, 2023, was necessitated by the unfortunate demise of BJP's sitting legislator, Bishnu Pada Roy. In the 2021 state polls, Bishnu had defeated TMC's then-sitting MLA, Mitali Roy, by a margin of 4,355 votes. Just days before the bypoll, Mitali Roy switched allegiance to the BJP, setting the stage for an intriguing showdown.
The TMC candidate, Nirmal Chandra Roy, a history professor from Dhupguri Girls College, secured 96,961 votes, while BJP's Tapasi Roy received 92,648 votes. Ishwar Chandra Roy, fielded by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M] with support from the Congress, garnered only 13,608 votes and lost his election deposit. Notably, all parties fielded members of the local Rajbangshi community, which constitutes a significant portion of the region's population, as the seat is reserved for the scheduled caste community.
What makes this victory significant is the narrative surrounding it. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was set to attend the G20 summit, emphasized the triumph as a victory for the "INDIA team," referring to the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, of which the TMC is a key member. She urged voters across the nation to observe the performance of INDIA alliance partners in various assembly bypolls and consider these results in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The credit for TMC's success in Dhupguri largely goes to its national general secretary and Mamata Banerjee's nephew, Abhishek Banerjee. During a campaign rally, Abhishek promised voters that Dhupguri would be made an administrative sub-division by December 31, a long-standing demand of the locals. This commitment resonated with voters, even those from the BJP camp, who acknowledged that Abhishek's speech influenced their decision.
North Bengal, once a stronghold of the BJP since 2019, when it secured a significant number of Lok Sabha seats, has seen a shifting political landscape. In the 2021 assembly polls, the BJP managed to win 30 of the 54 segments in north Bengal but couldn't replicate the same success across the entire state. After the Dhupguri defeat, BJP's tally in the state assembly effectively dropped to 69 as five of its legislators joined the TMC.
The significance of this electoral battle extends beyond Dhupguri. It underscores the importance of regional dynamics and strategic promises in shaping voter preferences. It also highlights the challenges faced by opposition parties like the Congress and the Left, who failed to secure any assembly seats in 2021, marking their absence in the state assembly for the first time since Independence.
As West Bengal continues to be a political battleground, with the TMC consolidating its position and the BJP looking to regain lost ground, the Dhupguri bypoll serves as a microcosm of the larger political landscape in India's eastern state. It reminds us that electoral battles are not just about seats; they are a reflection of evolving political narratives and shifting alliances.
