Thirty constituencies in Bengal and 39 in Assam vote today. (File)
Kolkata:
Nandigram – the epicentre of the battle for Bengal – goes to polls today, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee toe-to-toe with her protege-turned-arch rival Suvendu Adhikari. Thirty constituencies in Bengal and 39 in Assam vote today.
Here are the top 10 points in this big story:
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Nandigram is in East Medinipur district, the backyard of Adhikaris – the most prominent political family in the area. Under Mamata Banerjee’s directions, Suvendu Adhikari had anchored a popular uprising against a chemical hub in 2007 that had a domino effect and toppled the Left Front after their 34-year-rule in the state.
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Suvendu Adhikari joined the BJP in December, upset with Ms Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s rapid rise in the party. Since then, he had donned the role of an aggressive right-winger, running a deeply polarising campaign. Around 30 per cent of people Nandigram area are Muslims.
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Suvendu Adhikari’s father Sishir Adhikari – a minister in Manmohan Singh’s government – and one of his two brothers who are local heavyweights – have all joined the BJP.
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Upset over what she clearly saw as betrayal, Mamata Banerjee threw her hat into the ring at Nandigram, leaving her existing seat in Kolkata’s Bhowanipur. The contest here is now a prestige fight – one that neither can afford to lose.
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Ms Banerjee, who injured her leg in Nandigram the same day she filed her nomination, has been campaigning in a wheelchair. Over the last weeks, she had referred to her religion, her gotra and made multiple temple runs.
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In Bengal, polling will take place amid strict COVID-19 guidelines in nine seats of Paschim Medinipur, eight in Bankura, four in South 24 Parganas and nine seats in Purba Medinipur.
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The Election Commission, which has deployed around 651 companies of central forces, has declared Bengal’s 10,620 booths — where polling will be held this phase — as “sensitive”. Nandigram has 355 booths. All are sensitive. 22 companies of security forces are deployed in that one seat. There will be aerial survey with drones and helicopters.
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In Assam, four ministers and the deputy speaker are among the candidates contesting on 39 of the state’s 126 seats. In 2016, the BJP won 22 of the seats, the Asom Gana Parishad won two. The Bodoland People’s Front, a former BJP ally, had won four seats.
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The ministers who are contesting include Parimal Suklabaidya, Piyush Hazarika, and Bhabesh Kalita. Deputy Speaker Aminul Haque Laskar of the BJP is in a straight fight against AIUDF’s Karim Uddin Barbhuiyan in Sonai.
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The Bengali-dominated Barak Valley is drawing the most attention in this phase. Up to 15 seats will witness key contests. AIUDF’s Badruddin Ajmal, who joined hands with the Congress, is expected to be a key player in this area, with the population equally divided between Hindus and Muslims.