All eyes may rest on the cold climate of Darjeeling but its poll temperature is currently rising on account of a five-cornered contest.
Not far away from the Queen of Hills, Alipurduar - a sub-division in the Dooars - also promises a similar cliff-hanger of a contest, with the entry of the BJP in a four-cornered fight posing a huge challenge to the left Front and the ruling Trinamool Congress. While the left fielded sitting RSP MP Manohar Tirkey, the Trinamool nominated left turncoat and former RSP MlA from Kumargram Dasrath Tirkey to take on his ex-comrade.
Meanwhile, with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha declaring its support for the BJP candidate Birendra Bara Oraon - a 31-year-old school teacher - is giving other contestants sleepless nights from his reserved seat in Jalpaiguri district. The Congress on the other hand has fielded Joseph Munda, a sitting MlA from Nagrakata.
“We will definitely win,” said a confident BJP leader adding that the combined vote base of the GJM and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha of about 20 per cent “are strongly backing us and even working relentlessly for our candidate.”
However he refuses to lend much credence to the infighting within the party. Arabinda Roy a senior BJP leader informs that “many people are not happy with the candidate as he is just considered a new comer in the BJP.” He also complains about the lack of initiative among senior leaders “as you can see that not a single big rally was held here. It seems like everyone is too confident about our results.” If they concentrated more here “Alipurduar would have been a sure win.”
In 2009 general elections the RSP candidate had won the seat by a whopping margin of 1.12 lakh votes. While his vote share was about 41.2 per cent the Trinamoool had come second securing 29 per cent and the BJP 22 per cent votes.
“The BJP is largely banking on two factors: first the additional vote of about 20 per cent from the GJM and the JMM (Burla) and second the massive tilt of the young voters in our favour,” another partyleader says. “There is also a discernible wave in favour of Narendra Modi which will be a deciding factor.”
Though the TMC leaders are banking on CM Mamata Banerjee’s image the party’s base has weakened with renewed membership drive of RSP and the Congress in the tea and tribal belt that accounts for at least three-four lakh voters here.
According to locals, the constituency has three main issues which are working against Mamata Banerjee notwithstanding her party’s aggressive campaigning and terror tactic in the area. “Firstly the Trinamool Congress Government has failed to make Alipurduar a district despite their promises during the Assembly election,” says Banamali Roypradhan a public booth owner.
“Didi assured us of the district status which is why we voted for her party,” but they forgot that as soon as they came to power, adds Biman Ghosh a municipality worker. The second factor is the betrayal of Manohar Tirkey. “He left the RSP when it needed him the most during the Rajya Sabha elections. There is no guarantee that it will not be repeated, his loyalty is still under the scanner,” wonders a tea garden worker at Birpara. The third factor is the gradual rise of BJP, thanks to the steady infiltration factor and Banerjee’s policy of ‘minoritisim’.
The BJP, however, is in a good position in the State, also confirmed by a statement of an RSP candidate who says that “the Trinamool doesn’t stand a chance here. The real contest is between the BJP and RSP.”
The second factor is the betrayal of Manohar Tirkey. “He left the RSP when it needed him the most during the Rajya Sabha elections. Where is there a guarantee that he will not do the same once again with the people of Alipurduar when he could do this to a party with which he was associated for the past several decades and of whose Government he was even a minister” wonders Chetan Oraon a tea garden worker at Birpara. The third factor is the gradual rise of BJP in the reason thanks to the steady infiltration factor and Banerjee’s policy of ‘minoritisim’ locals say.
That the BJP is in a good position is also confirmed by a statement from the RSP candidate who says “the Trinamool is not in the scene here. The real contest is between the BJP and RSP.”