Barman campaigns on foot with a Congress flag at Pundibari. (Main Uddin Chisti)

Baro Rangrash (Cooch Behar), April 23: Ganapati Barman has never lost a panchayat election since he began as a Congress candidate 44 years ago. The 72-year-old is contesting this time too, and believes his gram panchayat membership will enter its 50th year when the next term ends in 2013.

“I had first contested the panchayat elections in 1964 when Prafulla Sen (of the Congress) was the chief minister. The next polls were held in 1977 when the Left Front came to power. Since then, I have contested in seven elections and am confident of winning this eighth one too,” a beaming Barman said.

Baro Rangrash is surrounded by gram panchayats where the CPM is in power. But despite the rival’s presence in nearby areas, Barman’s reputation in the past 44 years has remained unblemished.

In 2003, the Congress had won eight of the 13 gram panchayat seats. The CPM got three, while the BJP and the Trinamul Congress shared one each. This time the contest will be in 12 seats after one has been reduced in the delimitation process. “There is no way the Congress can lose,” Barman said.

After the 2003 polls, Barman was made the deputy pradhan of the gram panchayat by the party, the highest position he has ever held. “I prefer to serve. This time, I will try and get some of the villages electrified, build a concrete bridge across the Dhardhara and start a school for girls. I have served the party for 44 years and will call it quits at the end of 50 years,” he said.

Barman hails from a wealthy land-owning family, but even today, he prefers to campaign on foot and lives a simple life.

The district Congress leadership is full of praise for Barman and his family.

“During the food crisis between 1962 and 1967, Ganapatibabu and his two brothers distributed rice from their own harvested stock. His father, the late Krishna Prasad Barman, had donated two acres of land for constructing a school,” said Shyamal Chowdhury, the president of the district unit of the Congress.

Barman lost his wife four years ago. His three daughters have been married. His eldest son, Dhanapati, is an officer in the West Bengal Civil Service. The next son, Bhupati, looks after the household and farming and the youngest, Rajib, is a clerk with the Integrated Child Development Scheme office in Tufanganj.

The highest praise for Barman comes from a senior CPM leader of the district. “It is next to impossible to defeat Ganapatibabu, such is his popularity in the area. We know that all our efforts will fail and that is why he keeps on winning,” the Left leader said on condition of anonymity.