Constituency watch: Missing ‘X-factor’ of Anubrata Mondal makes contest interesting at Birbhum

Birbhum Lok Sabha constituency is going for polls this time in the absence of Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal, the X-factor in electoral politics not just for this constituency but for the entire district.

Birbhum is going for Lok Sabha polls in the fourth phase on May 13.

The absence of the ruling party’s former District President, who used to control the Trinamool Congress’ well-structured organisational machinery while sitting at his party office during elections, makes the situation a bit critical this time for actress-turned-politician and three-time Trinamool MP from Birbhum, Satabdi Roy.

Mondal is currently in Tihar Jail in New Delhi because of his alleged involvement in the cattle smuggling racket in West Bengal.

Except for this missing X factor, going by past poll statistics, Birbhum is one of the safest seats for the Trinamool Congress.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, even in the midst of a massive BJP wave throughout West Bengal, Satabdi Roy got elected by a margin of over 90,000 votes.

However, the BJP was able to make a dent and its vote share went up by 20.52 percentage points from what it was in 2014.

Anyhow, this upswing was not evident in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, when Trinamool Congress candidates emerged as victors in six out of seven Assembly constituencies under this Lok Sabha seat.

Political observers say those spectacular results were when Mondal was in full-control of the organisation at Birbhum, which is not the case this time.

The BJP this time has fielded former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Debashis Dhar, who resigned from service to join electoral politics.

In his first appearance in the political spectrum Dhar has already proved that he is as confident in handling the campaign microphone as he was in handling the baton.

The Congress this time has fielded Milton Rashid as its candidate from Birbhum as part of its seat-sharing agreement with the Left Front.

Milton Rashid is a veteran party organisational man from the district.

From 1971 to 2004, Birbhum gave CPI(M) candidates 10-consecutive victories.

The highly-acclaimed parliamentary speaker Dr Ram Chandra Dome, got elected from this constituency as a CPI(M) candidate for six-consecutive terms from 1989 to 2004.

However, in the midst of a massive Trinamool Congress wave, Satabdi Roy got elected from this constituency in 2009. She was re-elected in 2014 and 2019.

Birbhum is famous for the legendary Tarapith Maa Tara temple, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, the shrines which are believed in Hindu mythology to be created out of the different body parts of Devi Sati.

Birbhum is predominantly a rural Lok Sabha constituency with the principal bread-earning medium being agriculture.