In the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the East India Company under Robert Clive defeated Bengal’s last independent ruler Siraj-ud-Daulah, marking the onset of British rule in India.
The sprawling battleground of Plassey no longer exists. Only a sole monument in Krishnanagar serves as a poignant reminder of a turning point in Indian history. But Plassey, along with the rest of Krishnanagar in West Bengal’s Nadia district, is in the middle of another intriguing fight. Krishnanagar has emerged as one of the key Lok Sabha constituencies because of the candidates in the fray and the electoral factors at play. The Trinamool Congress has once again chosen Mahua Moitra, a fiery critic of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She was expelled from Parliament after her alleged involvement in a cash-for-query controversy. The BJP has fielded Amrita Roy, whose husband, Soumish Chandra Roy, is a descendant of the erstwhile king Krishnachandra Roy. Krishnanagar is named after the king.
Moitra’s expulsion from the Lok Sabha and the subsequent CBI action against her are viewed by the Trinamool as yet another instance of the alleged misuse of Central agencies by the Modi government. Moitra wants to return to Parliament with a bigger mandate to give the BJP a “fitting reply”. “Last time, I won with a margin of over 60,000 votes. This time, I want a lead of over one lakh votes,” she told a small crowd in Krishnanagar.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said winning Krishnanagar was important for the Trinamool. She made Moitra the Nadia district president of the party and announced her candidacy even before the official list of candidates was released. Mamata, in fact, started her campaign for the Lok Sabha polls from Krishnanagar.
For the BJP, apart from stopping Moitra from returning to Parliament, the contest is also about regaining lost ground. Although the party has been historically a minor player in West Bengal, it came second in Krishnanagar in 1998 and won it in 1999. After relapsing to second position in 2004, it slipped to third position in 2009 and 2014. But it saw a resurgence in 2019, winning the second spot.
Established in 1967, the Krishnanagar constituency was a left bastion. The CPI(M) held the seat for nine consecutive terms from 1971 till 1999. It regained the seat in 2004, but the Trinamool has dominated it since 2009, with strong support from Muslims in Tehatta, Chapra and Nakashipara assembly constituencies. The CPI(M) candidate this time is S.M. Sadi, a former MLA.
As Moitra embarked on a roadshow in an open jeep, the excitement was palpable. She could be seen instructing Trinamool workers to stick to the well-planned convoy route. All along, the banker-turned-politician meticulously ensured that everything, from flag placement to crowd management, was well-organised. She has designed her campaign carefully around key issues, focusing on her expulsion, the BJP’s hindutva politics and the welfare schemes implemented by the Mamata government.
“The BJP illegally removed your voice from Parliament. We have to remove the BJP,” Moitra told a mostly-Muslim crowd. “They want to decide what people wear and what they eat. They want to decide if you can wear lungi or not.” She also spoke about Lakshmir Bhandar, a state government programme that gives women a monthly allowance.
The BJP’s primary focus is on holding the Trinamool accountable for issues concerning women’s safety, in the context of the Sandeshkhali protests over sexual exploitation, and corruption charges against Trinamool leaders. There is also the projection of Modi as a world leader and his ‘guarantees’.
“I am not fighting Mahua Moitra. I am fighting corruption and I am fighting to provide my mothers and sisters a safe and secure life,” said Amrita Roy during a roadshow. Mallika Ballav, a BJP worker, said Mamata was buying votes. “She cannot give jobs whereas Modi ji is building roads and railway lines to attract big businesses. This is how a government should be run.”
When the BJP announced Roy as its candidate, there erupted a controversy over the history of the royal family. The Trinamool claimed that king Krishnachandra had supported the British in the Battle of Plassey. Roy defended him, saying he had done so to “protect sanatana dharma”.
The controversy, however, gained very little traction. Instead, the voters were more concerned about their long-standing demands for a flyover, railway line extension and supply of piped water. “We either buy water or squeeze hand pumps. Almost every household in my village has a tap, but there is no water,” said a tea-seller at a BJP rally.
Interestingly, workers from both parties expressed disappointment with their candidates. BJP supporters said a local candidate would have been better. “Roy is a resident of Kolkata and only visits Krishnanagar during Durga puja,” said Archana Chandra, a BJP worker. “But this vote is not about her. It is about Prime Minister Modi and we will make sure his candidate wins.”
Within the Trinamool, Moitra is considered an elite who likes to do things on her own terms, ignoring local political equations. Selena Mondal, a party supporter, said, “Mahua Moitra always carries an attitude and local leaders don’t like taking orders from her. But we only support Mamata didi. Nothing else matters.”
The Matuas form a considerable section of the Scheduled Caste population in Krishnanagar. Originally from Bangladesh, they have long sought unconditional Indian citizenship, a concern the Citizenship (Amendment) Act aimed to resolve. However, contrary to public belief, the CAA is not a major electoral issue. The candidates do not frequently discuss it in their public meetings.
Underpayment and employment scarcity are major concerns for farmers and agricultural workers, particularly because of the suspension of NREGA works. Jaffer Sheikh, a sharecropper, said he was forced to take up multiple jobs as it was impossible for him to run his family with income from agriculture alone. When asked about the elections and his expectations, he said, “We are poor and we are not allowed to have any expectations. But I will surely vote.”