Narendranath Burman (seated on a chair). Picture by Main Uddin Chisti

Cooch Behar, May 18: Forward Bloc candidate for Petla gram panchayat Narendranath Barman is banking on the sympathy factor to see him through, especially in a district where his party is contesting directly with the CPM in some seats.

Although yesterday was the first day he visited his constituency, 45-year-old Narendranath is confident that he will win by a record margin against Congress candidate Montu Barman in a seat reserved for Scheduled Castes. According to a court order, Narendranath also has to leave the district by tomorrow for he is among the 40 Bloc supporters who were arrested and jailed after a police firing on February 5 killed five supporters of the party. A member of the National Volunteer Force also died, succumbing to injuries suffered during the clash that day. Narendranath and the others were arrested on murder charges.

The jailed Bloc supporters were released on bail a few days later but on certain conditions. For one, according to a high court directive, they had to stay away from the district. The Cooch Behar leadership of the party arranged for their stay in the government-owned Mainak Hotel in Siliguri.

Narendranath was nominated a candidate from Baronachina seat for the Petla panchayat. He visited Petla yesterday after the court granted him permission.

“I could not do any campaigning personally. But I am confident that it would hardly matter. The people know me and they have full sympathy,” Narendranath said. He claimed that he would bag both the anti-CPM and anti Congress votes.