One of the main architects of Congress-Left alliance in Bengal, CPI(M) state secretary and Opposition leader Surya Kanta Mishra is likely to face a tough challenge in his own backyard at Narayangarh in West Midnapore district.
A doctor by training, Mishra, locally known as "daktar babu", is a five-time MLA from Narayangarh since 1991. The CPI(M) had wrested the seat in 1982 from the Congress in alliance with which it is fighting the poll this time.
Fighting as an alliance candidate, Mishra is facing a tough challenge from TMC candidate Pradyut Ghosh. BJP candidate Krishna Prasad Roy and SUCI(C) candidate Surya Pradhan are also in the fray from the constituency which has 2,20,190 voters.
Mishra, the second CPI(M) leader after Jyoti Basu to contest an election while holding the post of CPI(M) state secretary, is confident of his victory from this semi-rural seat.
"The people have united and forged an alliance and if the people are allowed to vote freely and fairly, Bengal will witness a new government after May 19. The people will resist and defeat the TMC which has unleashed a reign of terror and throttled democracy," Mishra told PTI.
TMC, on the other hand, is banking on the development work that was done by the Mamata Banerjee government in last five years.
The Trinamool Congress is highlighting various social security projects such as 'Kanyashree (aimed at stopping early marriages of minor girls and inspiring them to complete school education) and 'Khadya Sathi' (providing subsidized food grain at Rs 2 a kg to a large section of the population), besides scholarships and bicycles for students.
"What has Dr Mishra done for Narayangarh in last 30 years? He was even health minister during the Left Front government. People of Narayangarh wanted a super specialty hospital in Belda, but Mishra has never bothered about it," TMC candidate Pardyut Ghosh said.
Ghosh said, "After TMC came to power we have built several new hospitals in West Midnapore district. And if I become an MLA, I will ensure that a super specialty hospital come up in Belda for the people here."
The key factor for Mishra is the Congress-Left alliance. The possibility of his taking over as chief minister if the alliance wins the polls, may work in his favour. In 2011 assembly election, Mishra had won the seat by over ,7000 votes defeating the TMC candidate.
But lot of water has flown down the Ganges in last five years and poll statistics have changed.
In the 2013 Panchayat elections, Trinamool wiped out CPI(M) from the region by winning 15 of the 16 Gram Panchayats, the Panchayat Samity and Zilla Parishad. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the ruling TMC won the Assembly segment under Midnapore Lok Sabha seat by around 24,000 votes.
The CPI(M) has, however, alleged that the Panchayat and Lok Sabha polls were held under the "reign of terror and rigging" by TMC.
Insiders in his party said that initially Mishra was not very keen on contesting elections due to his responsibility as the party secretary.
It was the CPI(M)leadership which had convinced him to contest the polls and Mishra preferred to contest from his howm town Narayangarh.
However, Mishra has not been able to spend much time in campaigning in his constituency, as he is busy campaigning for his party throughout the state.
"If election is help in a free and fair manner, there is no doubt that Surjyada will win this seat again," said a local CPI(M) leader.
He said that the situation in Narayangarh like other places has undergone a change since later part of 2015 after various mass movements and rallies were organised by the Left.
"People have started joining our rallies and attend our meeting in large numbers after nearly four years," he said.
The TMC, however is unfazed by the alliance between Congress and CPI(M)."The Congress has no presence in
"The Congress has no presence in Narayangarh. And people of Bengal will defeat this unholy alliance. After this assembly polls, Mishra will be called former MLA," TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari said.
