New Delhi, April 8: Since coming to power in 2011, the Trinamool Congress has steadily strengthened its position. Initially holding 184 seats, the party increased its count to 211 in 2016 and ultimately secured 215 seats in the 2021 assembly elections.
Murshidabad, which has previously made headlines for violent protests, is currently in the spotlight due to a significant number of names being removed from the voter list. This district exemplifies how the ruling party has solidified its grip since the 2021 assembly elections.
In the last state elections, Trinamool won 15 out of 22 assembly seats in the district, with two seats going to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). One of these seats is Baharampur, which Congress won in both 2011 and 2016 but was taken over by the BJP in 2021.
A similar scenario unfolded in the Murshidabad assembly constituency, where the BJP defeated Congress in 2021. According to the 2011 census, the Muslim and Hindu populations in the Baharampur sub-district were 53.63% and 45.94%, respectively. In Murshidabad-Jiaganj, the figures were 54.52% and 44.61%. However, in many other sub-districts, the percentage of the Muslim population is significantly higher.
Thanks to the Trinamool government’s minority-friendly policies and targeted welfare schemes, the party achieved a resounding victory in all assembly seats except for the two in Murshidabad. The district’s population, according to the 2011 census, was 71,03,807, with Hindus at 33.21%, Muslims at 66.27%, Christians at 0.25%, and others making up the rest.
Muslims predominantly reside in the riverbank areas of the Padma River, near the Bangladesh border, while Hindus are more concentrated in urban regions. In the 2021 assembly elections, Trinamool also made significant gains by winning seats like Bhagwangola, Nabagram, Domkal, and Jangipur, defeating sitting members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
In other constituencies such as Farakka, Sutia, Lalbagh, Raniganj, Khargram, Burwan, Kandi, Bharatpur, Reginagar, Beldanga, and Novda, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s party succeeded in defeating incumbent Congress legislators.
Despite losing to the Left Front in the 1977 assembly elections and experiencing a decline in influence, Congress has maintained a significant presence in the district, largely due to the efforts of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. The former Congress leader in the Lok Sabha (2019-2024) was recognized for his philanthropy and social work, earning him nicknames like ‘Robin Hood of Murshidabad’ and ‘Nawab of Murshidabad.’
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