West Bengal Assembly Election

Leaders anxious in Cooch Behar

The leaders of all the major political parties are passing through anxiety as count down has started prior to the counting of polled votes. But, when they face media persons they pose as nothing happened and their candidates are to win tremendously.

District Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh, district CPI-M secretary Mr Chandi Pal, district Forward Bloc secretary Mr Udayan Guha and district Congress president Mr Shyamal Chaudhury – all are hopeful of victory of their candidates.

Among the nine Assembly segments the eye catchers are Dinhata, Mathabhanga, Natabari and Mekhliganj.  

At Dinhata Dr Fazle Haque of the Congress is contesting as an independent candidate against Mr Udayan Guha of the Forward Bloc. Dr Haque is the outgoing MLA from Sitai. He turned rebel when the Congress turned down his appeal to make him a candidate at Dinhata. At Dinhata, the Trinamul Congress expelled its outgoing MLA Mr Ashok Mandal and gifted the seat to its ally, the Nationalist Congress Party. That party too got divided over selection of candidate and a section joined hands with Dr Haque to teach a lesson to the NCP leadership. A section of Trinamul Congress and the Congress too came out to support the rebel Congress candidate.

At Natabari, Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh is contesting against the outgoing MLA of the CPI-M, Mr Tamser Ali. Both are hopeful about victory. This is the fourth time Mr Ghosh is contesting and it is Mr Ali's third time. Mr Ali is anxious because in the 2009 Lok Sabha election the Trinamul Congress candidate pulled many votes from this segment.

At Mathabhanga, state forest minister Mr Ananta Ray is contesting for the second time and his main opponent is Mr Binay Krishna Barman of the Trinamul Congress. Mr Barman is enjoying support of all lobbies of his party. The main allegation against the outgoing MLA Mr Ray is he seldom visited and paid attention to this constituency after winning from here.

A rebel Trinamul Congress leader Mr Sunil Ray is contesting at Mekhliganj ignoring the official alliance sponsored Congress candidate Mr Jayanta Ray. Mr Sunil Ray is enjoying support from a large number of Trinamul Congress and Congress supporters and expects victory against state food and supply minister Mr Paresh Adhikary.