The CPM has fielded its own candidate from the Alipurduar Assembly constituency after a gap of 55 years, thereby altering the area’s electoral dynamics.
On Thursday, CPM candidate Shyamal Kumar Roy filed his nomination, drawing a sizeable crowd to his rally on his way to the SDO’s office where he filed his papers.
The last time the CPM contested the seat was in 1971, when Ranjit Dasgupta was fielded as the Left Front nominee. Since then, the seat had been contested by the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), an ally of the Left Front.
The constituency has witnessed shifting political equations over the years. In 2011, Congress candidate Debaprasad Roy, backed by the Congress-Trinamool alliance, defeated then Left Front minister Khiti Goswami of the RSP.
In 2016, the Congress-Left alliance fielded Biswaranjan Sarkar, but the Trinamool Congress won the seat.
In 2021, the BJP wrested the constituency, with Suman Kanjilal defeating the Trinamool candidate.
Party insiders admitted that the CPM’s independent support base in Alipurduar had not been directly tested for decades. Sources claimed that in 2021, a section of CPM supporters had backed the BJP, contributing to Kanjilal’s victory.
CPM leaders said the workers were energised now. “This is the first time in decades that we will be contesting on our own symbol here. Workers, from senior members to SFI and DYFI activists, are putting in their best efforts. We are confident the results will surprise many,” said Som Shankar Dutta, a CPM worker in Alipurduar.
Roy has been campaigning across the constituency, receiving what party leaders described as “an encouraging response”.
Earlier, of the five Assembly seats in Alipurduar district, the CPM contested only Falakata, while the RSP fielded candidates in the remaining four. This is the first time the CPM is contesting from two seats in the district, Falakata and Alipurduar.
RSP district secretary, Subrata Roy, said: “The decision was taken from the Left Front state committee and we will abide by it. Anyway, the candidate (Roy) will contest as a Left Front candidate, not just that of the CPM.”