Jobs and agriculture crisis: Key factors in Katwa’s TMC-BJP battle

Katwa in West Bengal’s Purba Bardhaman district has emerged as a keenly watched Assembly constituency, with a direct contest likely between TMC and BJP as agrarian distress and the youth’s aspirations drive the poll discourse in the predominantly rural seat.

Katwa, an unreserved seat, is one of the seven Assembly segments under the Bardhaman Purba Lok Sabha constituency.

It has a predominantly rural character, with around 65.40 per cent of voters residing in villages and 34.60 per cent in urban centres.

The electorate is socially mixed, with Scheduled Castes accounting for about 27.41 per cent and Muslims around 21.80 per cent of the population.

Historically, the constituency was considered a Left stronghold. The CPI won the seat twice, while the CPI(M) secured it six times.

The Congress also had a significant presence, particularly under veteran leader Rabindranath Chatterjee, who won the seat in 1996 and went on to retain it consecutively.

Chatterjee later joined the TMC in 2016 and has continued his winning streak, securing victories in both the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections as a TMC candidate.

The 2016 election witnessed a close contest, with Chatterjee defeating Congress candidate Shyama Majumdar by only 911 votes. In 2021, Majumdar, then contesting on a BJP ticket, lost to Chatterjee by 9,155 votes.