West Bengal Assembly Election

Main issue is a long awaited bridge over Singimari at Sitai

The fight at Sitai in Cooch Behar district is confined between two teachers. They are the Congress candidate Mr Keshab Roy and the Forward Bloc candidate Mr Dipak Roy. A veteran Congress leader Dr Fazle Haque won from Sitai segment in 2006. This time the Forward Bloc is trying its best to recover their lost seat and the Congress is also trying hard to retain the seat.

In 2006, Dr Haque defeated Mr Nripen Roy of the Forward Bloc by 4895 votes. He got 72,184 votes. In 2006, the number of voters was 1,83,112 and this time it is 2,08,971.

The FB candidate Mr Dipak Roy is highlighting the necessity of the long awaited bridge over Singimari river. The work may have started if the election was not declared, he claims. After formation of the eighth Left Front government the construction of the proposed bridge will start, he assured.

It may be mentioned here that the bridge is very essential to connect Dinhata with Sitai as hundreds of people have to cross the river by ferryboats round the year. The problem turns worse during the monsoon months. The bridge issue comes up before each and every election and the leaders made it a habit to throw promises about its construction.

When the FB candidate Mr Dipak Roy is making promises to build up the bridge, the Congress candidate Mr Keshab Roy is criticising the leftists for not doing anything in their regime. He said the Left Front failed to construct the bridge in its past 34-year rule. The leftists laid the foundation of the bridge on 22 February 2009 but failed to start its construction yet. After pulling down the LF government from the seat of power the Trinamul-led state government will build the bridge, he hoped.

On the otherhand, the FB candidate said a LF minister laid the foundation and it will be also be constructed under the eighth LF government, he claimed.