He was once called the king of Siliguri. But veteran communist leader Ashok Bhattacharya’s influence in the north Bengal city seems to be waning. This was evident in the thin crowd of supporters around him as he went about seeking votes for the seventh consecutive time. The sitting MLA has won all but one (2011) election from Siliguri since 1991.
Once a heavyweight minister in the Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee governments, Bhattacharya was seen as a development man who brought together the varied sections of the Siliguri population. The city is close to Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Tibet, and is seen as an important strategic point for India.
Wearing a plain shirt and crumpled trousers, Bhattacharya extended his hands to voters while campaigning. “Vote for our future. Do not vote emotionally,” he told them. The people smiled, but did not commit. The violence in the state has marred the flavour of the elections this time.
Bhattacharya, who has previously survived challenges from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress, is now on a sticky wicket because of the recent saffron surge. His confidant Sankar Ghosh has joined the BJP. An internal study by the BJP had found that it was Bhattacharya and not Mamata, who was its main challenge in Siliguri. And so, a coup was apparently arranged. Ghosh and several others switched to the BJP. He will now take on Bhattacharya.
Asked about this, an unflustered Bhattacharya said, “I am not at all worried about who has left me. I have groomed many others. If they desert me, it is their own problem. Mind my words, I will win this seat again.”
Bhattacharya is also known as the bridge between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the influential people in the state, including superstar actors and sports legends.
この記事は THE WEEK の April 25, 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は THE WEEK の April 25, 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
At What Ages Do People Feel Most Lonely?
ACCORDING TO A US STUDY PUBLISHED in the journal Psychological Science, loneliness follows a U-shaped pattern in adulthood people are loneliest during younger and older adulthood, and least lonely in middle age.
How Anger Can Hurt Your Heart
Getting angry can constrict blood vessels and increase a person's risk of developing heart in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Winner in a wheelchair
Cerebral palsy could not stop Sarika from achieving her dream of becoming a civil servant
BONE SUPREMACY
Taking good care of your bones will take a big load off your old age
MAMMOGRAM RECOMMENDED FROM AGE 40
THE US PREVENTIVE SERVICES TASK FORCE (USPSTF) has issued new recommendations for all women to start getting mammograms every other year beginning at age 40 and continuing through age 74.
TREATING GUM DISEASE CAN HELP PREVENT AFib RECURRENCE
PATIENTS WHO HAD THEIR GUM DISEASE treated following treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib), or irregular heartbeat, are significantly less likely to suffer AFib recurrence, according to Japanese research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
LIFT OR STAIRS? ALWAYS CHOOSE STAIRS
ACCORDING TO A STUDY PRESENTED AT ESC Preventive Cardiology 2024, climbing stairs is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and death.
ESKETAMINE INJECTION MAY REDUCE RISK OF POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION
A SINGLE LOW DOSE INJECTION of esketamine given right after childbirth can reduce the risk of major postpartum depression by about three quarters, finds a US study published in The BMJ.
Nancy, how about Kanhaiya?
I have been following Nancy Tyagi on Instagram for over a year.
Cannes can do
Never mind that India is witnessing a massive general election, perhaps one of the dirtiest it has ever witnessed.
