By-polls announced on 6 Assembly & 1 Lok Sabha seat of Bengal on Nov 13

Amid ongoing protests over the RG Kar scam, with junior doctors and common citizens taking to the streets, the National Election Commission has announced the date for by-elections in six assembly constituencies of West Bengal. These by-elections are scheduled for November 13, 2024, and come at a critical time, coinciding with public unrest in the state.

In addition to the assembly elections announced in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the by-elections will be held for the six constituencies of Midnapore, Taldangra, Sitai, Naihati, Madarihat, and Harwa. Moreover, the by-election for the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat will also be conducted on the same day.

Several notable figures in Bengal politics are affected by these elections. June Malia, the former MLA from Midnapore, won the Lok Sabha seat for the Medinipur constituency, vacating her assembly position. Similarly, Taldangra MLA Arup Chakraborty moved to the national level by winning from Bankura, and Madarihat’s BJP MLA Manoj Tigga was elected to the Alipurduar Lok Sabha seat.

Among the six assembly seats, five were held by the Trinamool Congress as per the 2021 state election results, while Madarihat was the only seat won by the BJP. Notably, in July, by-elections were conducted in four other constituencies, all of which were won by the Trinamool.

In the Naihati constituency, Trinamool MLA Partha Bhowmick secured victory in the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat. Haji Nurul Islam, who had won from Harwa and later became the MP for Basirhat, passed away last month, leading to a vacancy in the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat.

With the political tension surrounding the RG Kar protest, this set of by-elections is expected to have significant implications for both the Trinamool and BJP, as they look to maintain and potentially expand their influence in Bengal.