Kolkata, May 4 (IANS). In the second phase of West Bengal assembly elections, Trinamool Congress has strengthened its hold on the important Madhyamgram assembly seat of North 24 Parganas district. TMC candidate Rathin Ghosh won by defeating BJP’s Anindya Banerjee by 2,399 votes.
Rathin Ghosh got 95,995 votes, while BJP candidate Anindya Banerjee got 93,596 votes. A record 94.62 percent voting was recorded in this seat, which is much higher than the previous elections. On an average, 92.92 percent voting took place in the entire North 24 Parganas district.
Madhyamgram seat is part of Kolkata Metropolitan area and comes under Barasat Lok Sabha constituency. Trinamool Congress has been continuously dominating this seat created in 2011 after the delimitation of 2008. Rathin Ghosh had registered a big victory in both the 2016 and 2021 elections. In 2021, he defeated the BJP candidate.
TMC candidate Rathin Ghosh is 68 years old and is 12th pass. There is no criminal case registered against him. His total wealth is around Rs 57.9 lakh. He has won this seat three times in a row. BJP candidate Anindya Banerjee is 57 years old and is 12th pass. There are 12 criminal cases registered against him. His net worth is said to be Rs 3.3 crore.
This time BJP has given a tough competition to TMC by giving him ticket. Congress candidate Ananth Ray is 72 years old and a graduate professional. There is no criminal case against him. His total wealth is around Rs 41.6 lakh.
Madhyamgram area has a good mix of urban and rural areas. Muslim community is the largest vote bank (about 27.60%), while Scheduled Caste voters constitute about 12.78 percent. Due to this social equation the electoral battle here is always interesting.
The strong organization of Trinamool Congress at the local level and the influence of welfare schemes are continuously benefiting the party. However, the BJP has been continuously increasing its vote share in this seat over the past few years, making the contest more competitive than before. The position of Congress remained weak.
–IANS
SCH/ABM