Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency voted in the 4rh phase of general elections on April 29. Here is the lowdown of how candidates fared:
At 9 PM, Mahua Moitra is ahead by 65,909 votes.
Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency profile
Krishnanagar Lok Sabha in Nadia district of West Bengal is witnessing a high-stakes clash between TMC and BJP.
One of the most well-known faces of TMC in the national media circuit, Mahua Moitra is the candidate from Krishnagar. Known for her no-nonsense attitude, Moitra, once part of Rahul Gandhi's Aam Admi ki Sepahi is an upcoming political star of TMC. The former JP Morgan executive is facing a tough contest against BJP's Kalyan Chaubey, who is an ex- India goalkeeper and had played for both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.
Initially, many in BJP were upset with the party not nominating former MP Satyabrata Mookherjee aka Jalubabu. Jalubabu who won in 1999, when BJP was in alliance with TMC has been party candidate for last five times. In 2014, he came third despite Modi wave. Hence probably BJP opted for a slightly unconventional choice in Kalyan Chaubey, who is known to be close to RSS. Sangh has deep entrenched organisational set-up in Nadia and is providing much-needed backing to BJP to get back this seat. It has also ensured that all workers who were unhappy with the candidate pick are now contributing to the campaign.
Speaking to PTI, Kalyan Chaubey said about Jalu babu, "He didn't know me at first but after knowing me he has been there for me. He has visited all the seven Assembly segments that make up the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat and is asking people to vote for Kalyan Chaubey. If he was not happy with my candidature, he wouldn't have done that. There are 1,812 booths in my constituency and with the limited time I have, it is not possible to visit each and every area. Jalu babu is visiting some areas I couldn't."
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BJP though faced a setback with EC barring Nadia district president Mahadev Sarkar from holding any public meeting, rally or speak to the media till April 28 for violating the model code of conduct by making sexually coloured remarks against TMC Lok Sabha candidate from Krishnagar, Mahua Moitra.
The EC severely reprimanded the BJP leader for his misconduct and violating the model code of conduct.
It also strongly condemned the statements by Sarkar during a rally held in Krishnanagar on April 22. EC's action came after Moitra went to Supreme Court with her grievance.
TMC MLA Moitra was fielded after party denied nomination to two-time MP, actor turned politician Tapas Paul who got involved in the chit fund scam and had to be behind bars for over a year. CPM's Santanu Jha is also contesting. Santanu was second in 2014, but is likely to get relegated to the third spot with BJP slowly taking the role of the main opposition party in the state.
In the final analysis, though, the party which manages to get the major chunk of 37% minority votes in Krishnanagar, a constituency sharing border with Bangladesh, will definitely have the upper hand. This factor gives TMC an edge although both PM Modi and Amit Shah have canvassed in favour of Choubey.
Tehatta. Palashipara, Kaliganj, Nakshipara, Chapra, Krishnanagar Uttar and Krishnanagar Dakshin are the assembly segments under KrishnanagarLok Sabha constituency.
In the past, Krishnanagarhas sent interesting names to the Parliament. In 2004, Asian Games gold medallist Jyotirmoyee Sikdar won from here, contesting for CPI(M). Will it pick another sportsman as their MP? The voters will decide on April 29, when Krishnanagar goes to polls.
