Soumyajit Raha lost a 2013 civic bypoll by just 251 votes. “The shutters were pulled down in FE Block and bogus votes were cast,” he recalls, seated in his chamber in AC Block. The 48-year-old lawyer, who receives phone calls only on WhatsApp to ensure privacy, is a resident of HA Block and is contesting on a CPM ticket.
Q. What vibes are you getting after three weeks of campaigning?
Initially the election buzz had yet to build. Now the response has picked up, with many in what I would call a retaliatory mood. We are being welcomed, especially from Dakshindari to Bangur and in the added areas of Salt Lake. I have tried to cover most of these areas on foot. The biggest change in this constituency is the return of the CPM symbol to the ballot after 15 years. Party workers are upbeat, and our rallies are getting longer.
Q. Your party seemed to have recovered some lost ground in the 2022 Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. The Left Front had pushed the BJP to third place overall and came second in eight wards in Salt Lake.
Yes, we also did well in the panchayat polls. There was considerable discontent against Trinamul, even among its own supporters.
The CPM still manages to draw large crowds to our Brigade Parade Ground rallies. So why does the party fail to win seats? One major reason is malpractice. In many areas, voter cards are snatched in advance, and on poll day, access to booths is blocked by ruling party cadre. Can common people bypass musclemen at every corner in the added areas? A free and fair election is impossible if Central forces remain confined to booths. People must be able to reach polling stations.
Q. Are you expecting a higher turnout this year?
That depends on how the Election Commission conducts the polls. There needs to be CRPF patrolling in the area on poll day. Another concern is that when complaints are lodged, local police often guide Central forces to trouble spots — sometimes via roundabout routes — giving miscreants time to act and disperse.
Q. How do you analyse the voteshare trend since 2016?
Arunava Ghosh, who contested in 2016 on a CPM-Congress alliance ticket, was a successful lawyer and a known face. That helped him perform strongly in Salt Lake, where he led by 5,138 votes, and he lost by just 6,988 votes overall. In 2021, our candidate, Abhishek Banerjee, was announced late. Though he was sharp, he had to contend with a pro-BJP wave. BJP’s performance in Salt Lake was also boosted by Sabyasachi Dutta shifting his support base from Trinamul. Even then, the BJP did not perform as strongly in Salt Lake proper as expected, with Dutta trailing Sujit Bose by 47 votes in the BMC area.
Q. What is the situation now?
There are some two lakh voters, and around 4,000 names have been deleted. The final list will be published on April 27. Polling here typically ranges between 60 and 61 per cent.
Some of those removed are likely to be deceased or relocated voters, in whose names bogus votes were cast earlier by the ruling party. There is an anti-Trinamul sentiment cutting across economic strata. People feel insecure on the streets. The education system is crumbling, and lumpen elements are rising. A time may come when they would be in the majority. Education loses value when there are no jobs for the educated.
Q. What local issues are you highlighting?
Look at the condition of the roads! With elections approaching, patchwork repairs are being done discreetly at night — in AE Block, IA Block and elsewhere. I doubt these will last beyond the polls. I’ve even made a cartoon on the issue. We are also putting out promise cards on social media outlining what I intend to do. Poor street lighting and water supply are key concerns.
Q. Isn’t there adequate supply from the New Town treatment plant?
Supply alone is not enough — the water quality matters. Check the iron content; it must be fit for consumption. Some areas still face supply issues, including parts of Sector I and Sukantanagar. Waterlogging remains a problem in Sector III — along the service road in front of Columbia Asia (Manipal Broadway), as well as in GD Block and Karunamoyee. In several places, road levels are higher than houses, causing water to accumulate in driveways.
Q. So you are focusing on civic issues, even though this is not a municipal election?
These are day-to-day issues that affect people’s lives. Garbage collection is another concern, as are arbitrarily placed paid parking lots.
Q. But don’t paid parking lots discourage on-street parking?
I am not against generating revenue through parking. The problem is poor planning, which creates traffic bottlenecks. Illegal stalls are also mushrooming on footpaths. The chief minister herself has publicly criticised Sujit Bose for encouraging encroachments. Unemployment, education and corruption are major factors fuelling public frustration.
Q. Is the TMC–BJP binary your biggest challenge?
People must understand that TMC and BJP are two sides of the same coin. Agencies like ED and CBI become active seasonally, but culprits are rarely punished. The RSS has expanded significantly under TMC rule — from 861 units in 2011 to 4,540 in 2025. Have you seen such growth in any other non-BJP state?
Q. Several of your former colleagues have left the party.
It was a necessary purge. Those who remain are committed. We have no shortage of candidates, especially among the youth — there are 14 lawyers contesting on Left Front tickets. The Left must re-emerge as a credible alternative.
Q. How difficult is it to take on an incumbent minister like Sujit Bose?
Have you seen how residents’ windows are blocked by a sea of his publicity banners? The BJP candidate is not far behind. Our rallies, however, do not rely on paid crowds.
Q. Is the BJP fielding a doctor a strategic move after the RG Kar incident?
A lawyer is better equipped to deliberate on legislation. Many senior leaders, including Jyoti Basu, were lawyers. I deal with disputes regularly and understand criminal law. In that sense, we are doctors for society’s ailments. Besides, after their underwhelming performance in 2021, BJP supporters seem to have lost momentum.
Q. People remain wary of voting for the Left for two reasons — the fear that their vote may go to waste if the CPM does not win, and the lingering memory of what they see as Left misrule.
But compare the development over 34 years with that of the past 15. We upgraded village infrastructure from mud tracks to brick lanes and then to concrete roads. People once had to walk miles for water. We laid pipelines, introduced timed supply at community taps, and eventually ensured access in individual homes. Has the TMC even managed to maintain those facilities? Corruption is rampant. Our manifesto promises time-bound development with accountability and clear escalation mechanisms.
Q. You have bright young faces, but the party lacks leadership.
Does the BJP have a declared chief ministerial face? Leadership will be decided based on results. We are fighting on a platform of clean governance — whoever is chosen will not be corrupt.
Write to saltlake@abp.in