Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha polls: Mamata's nephew gears up for tough fight with BJP heavyweight

Diamond Harbour goes to poll on June 1 in the final phase of the Lok Sabha election 2024.

Diamond Harbour in West Bengal’s South Parganas has been known as the Trinamool Congress stronghold after party leader Abhishek Banerjee’s consecutive win in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. However, with the BJP fielding Abhijit Das from the seat, Diamond Harbour is now set for a tough fight.

The seat will go to poll on June 1 in the final phase of the Lok Sabha election 2024 in the state.

Trinamool turf

In 2019, Banerjee defeated his nearest rival BJP candidate Nilanjan Roy by a staggering margin of 3.2 lakh votes. Diamond Harbour, which has been a Trinamool turf since the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, is said to be a crucial factor behind Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s monopoly in South Bengal.  The 2021 assembly polls further solidified the party's grip. All the seven assembly segments under the Lok Sabha seat were won by the Trinamool Congress. According to reports, demographic breakdown into Hindu (55 percent) and Muslim (35 percent) population. Muslims have been the Trinamool’s core vote base. Also, over the years Trinamool leaders such as Dilip Mondal, Dulal Chandra Das, and Ashok Kumar Deb have played key roles in strengthening the Trinamool's dominance in the area.

BJP’s pick

Abhijit Das known as “Bobby Da”, is a prominent face of the BJP in South 24 Parganas district.  His candidature was decided after much brainstorming. In 2014, Das had contested from Diamond Harbour as a BJP candidate and came third. In 2018, Das was reportedly attacked in Diamond Harbour. Das, who sustained head injuries, blamed Trinamool for the attack.

History of Daimond Harbour

Portuguese river pirates frequented the shores of Diamond Harbour in the 16th and 17th century. Known as Hajipur, the area gained its current name from British colonialists who used it shipping. For decades, Diamond Harbour was a bastion of Leftist ideologies, primarily under the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M). Left leaders Kamal Basu and Jyotirmoy Basu were among its notable representatives.

What do voters say?

Out of seven segments, Falta, Metiaburuz and Budge Budge have some industrial areas and business zones.

Some village residents in these areas told News18 that they were not allowed to exercise their franchise for years. “I have been a Trinamool worker for 20 years, but I have disassociated myself now. They did not allow me and my family to vote in the last five to six elections, including the panchayat polls. The money for 100 days’ work has not been given to us, because the panchayat pradhan wants a cut in everything," Zakir Hossain told News18.

Ram Dolui, a 50-year-old farmer in Falta, said the residents have been bearing with everything, including the extortion and “the rule of giving a cut from the cash received through government schemes”.  “But, the violence continues to keep us on the edge. In 2018, we had seen unprecedented violence. Despite being TMC voters, we were not allowed to vote,” said Dolui.

A large section of village residents shared with News18 the fear of frequent clashes, and alleged that there were “unsaid rules” about giving “cut money” to “syndicates”.

Abhishek Banerjee recently said the "best candidates for the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal would be the directors of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the National Investigation Agency (NIA)".