Located in the India- Bangladesh border, Cooch Behar is another seat in West Bengal where BJP pins high hope. Hence stalwarts PM Modi and Amit Shah are making the rounds to canvas for BJP candidate Nisith Pramanik, who ironically was with TMC till recently. Infact, Coch Behar Lok Sabha election this time around is the battle of turncoats. Pramanik is up against Paresh Chandra Adhikary, who joined TMC recently. Adhikary, a four time Forward Bloc MLA was also a minister in the Left Front government in the state. Bowing to political reality, he joined TMC and has been given ticket.
Here TMC's Partha Pratim Ray in by election in 2016 won with a massive 59% vote share. But he had a fallout with TMC district chief and slowly descended into oblivion. This time, he wasn't given ticket and Adhikary has been preferred.
While there is not much dissent in TMC over giving a turncoat the ticket, the scene is a bit different in the saffron camp. Old timers of BJ[P are unhappy with Nisith Adhikary's candidature and party offices were ransacked initially.
BJP in Cooch Behar has mainly grown in the expense of Forward Bloc. Forward Bloc has been the most dominant party of the area historically thanks to leaders like Amar Roy Pradhan. He won the seat at a stretch from 1977 to 1999. After that, Bloc won the seat in 2004 and 2009 too. Only in 2014, did paribartan finally take place when late Renuka Sinha won by around 80 thousand votes. The margin got significantly inflated in the byelection and TMC intends to keep it that way.
But with BJP amping the rhetoric on NRC, the party is gaining traction in Cooch Behar where there are vast numbers of Hindu refugees. That Modi government successfully sorted out the land deal with Bangladesh to iron out the long pending problem of enclaves has given them a good reputation. Forward Bloc, now shadow of its golden days has fielded Gobinda Roy. Congress has named Piya Roy Chowdhury as their candidate.
Elections will be held on 11th April in this SC-reserved constituency. The assembly segment under Cooch Behar are: Mathabhanga, Coochbehar Uttar, Coochbehar Dakshin Sitalkuchi, Sitai, Dinhata, Natabari . There are over 18 lakh voters in Cooch Behar who will be exercising their rights.
