Kolkata, February 24 (IANS). Panihati, located in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, is an important suburban town of the Kolkata metropolitan area, which has become a part of the rapidly expanding urban expansion. The area is closely connected to Kolkata through road and suburban rail networks and falls under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. Panihati assembly constituency is a general category seat and is among the seven seats falling under the Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency. It includes most of the wards of Panihati Municipality.
This seat, which came into existence after delimitation in 1967, has seen 14 assembly elections so far. In the early decades, this seat was considered a stronghold of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which won it eight times. Congress got success twice, while Trinamool Congress won four times.
The dominance of Trinamool Congress has clearly increased in the last one and a half decade. Since 2011, the party has won three consecutive elections. Senior leader Nirmal Ghosh has been the main face of this seat. He consolidated his hold by defeating his rivals by large and small margins in different elections. In 2021, he defeated the BJP candidate by a margin of more than 25 thousand votes.
Even in the Lok Sabha elections, Trinamool Congress has been getting lead in Panihati region. However, in the last decade, the BJP has strengthened its presence here and pushed the Left parties back from the position of main rival. The contest in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections seemed to be limited between Trinamool and BJP.
The number of registered voters in Panihati is approximately 2.31 lakh in 2024. Scheduled Caste voters constitute about five percent, while the share of Muslim voters is also limited. Despite being a completely urban area, the voting percentage here has been relatively good, but there has been a continuous decline in it in the last few elections. The voting rate has declined slightly in every election since 2011, which may become a matter of concern for the Election Commission and political parties.
Panihati, situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, was once known for rice trading and small-scale industries. With time, textile, leather, chemical and other industries developed here. Now it has become a mainly residential area, where a large number of middle and lower income group families live. The area is connected to Howrah and Sealdah in less than an hour via the Barrackpore Trunk Road and Sodepur-Panihati railway stations. The nearby metro network has also improved its connectivity.
Political analysts believe that Trinamool Congress is still the strongest contender in the 2026 assembly elections. However, the Left Front-Congress alliance has maintained its presence in the recent elections and the BJP’s vote percentage has also remained stable.
If there is polarization of opposition votes and there is a dent in Trinamool’s traditional vote bank, then the contest could be interesting. At present, the politics of Panihati seems to depend on urban issues, organizational strength and voter participation. In 2026, this seat can once again play an important role in deciding the political direction of North 24 Parganas.
–IANS
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