New Delhi, February 10 (). Before the West Bengal Assembly elections, Siliguri in Darjeeling district is being counted as one of the important high-profile seats of North Bengal. The state’s major trading centre, strategic border location, changing political equations and recent electoral trends make this seat special.
Siliguri is the third largest urban center of West Bengal after Kolkata and Asansol. Along with nearby Jalpaiguri it has taken the form of a twin city. Situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and on the banks of the Mahananda River, this city is considered the gateway to North-East India. Siliguri has got a special economic, cultural and strategic identity due to its proximity to the international borders of Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
During the British period, it was developed as a major transport hub. The city’s connectivity and importance grew rapidly with the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway starting in 1881 and becoming a major railway junction.
Siliguri assembly seat, which came into existence in the year 1951, is part of the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency. It includes 33 wards of Siliguri Municipal Corporation. It was a two-member constituency in the early elections, but from 1962 onwards it became a single-member constituency.
The political history of Siliguri has been one of multi-party competition. Here the mandate has changed in every phase. From 1977 to 2006, CPI(M) has won 8 times. Apart from this, Congress has won this seat 4 times. At the same time, All India Gorkha League, Trinamool Congress and BJP have won once each.
Senior Left leader Ashok Bhattacharya represented this seat for four consecutive terms from 1991 to 2006. If we look at the last few elections, Trinamool Congress defeated CPI (M) in the 2011 elections. In the 2016 election, CPI(M) defeated Trinamool Congress and in the 2021 election, BJP defeated Trinamool Congress. A special thing related to this seat is that the voting percentage in Siliguri has always been high.
The economy of Siliguri is majorly based on tea industry, wood-forest products, tourism as well as transportation and trade. It is a major trade and distribution hub for North Bengal and North-East. Small scale industries, retail and hospitality sectors provide a large number of employment. It is the main center for tourists visiting Darjeeling, Dooars, Sikkim and Bhutan.
Siliguri falls in Seismic Zone-4 and is sensitive to earthquakes. Many aftershocks have been felt here, including the 2011 earthquake of 6.8 magnitude. There is also a risk of flood during monsoon due to Mahananda and Teesta rivers. The surrounding tea plantations, Sal forests and Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary are the environmental hallmarks of the region.
Looking at the excellent performance of BJP in the recent elections, it can be said that BJP is currently strong in Siliguri. At the same time, strengthening its hold among urban voters and further activating the organization in North Bengal is a big challenge for Trinamool Congress. Siliguri is the largest urban political center of North Bengal. Moreover, it is a trade, tourism and transit hub as well as a mood-setting seat of North Bengal politics.
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PSK/ABM