Kolkata, March 18: Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency is one of the significant seats among the 42 parliamentary areas in West Bengal, located in the Purba Medinipur district. This constituency includes seven assembly segments: Tamluk, Haldia, Mahishadal, Moyna, Nandakumar, Nandigram, and Panskura East. The region is known for its agricultural, fishing, and industrial activities.
Tamluk city, the district headquarters, is historically recognized as ancient Tamralipta. Notably mentioned by the Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang, the city is situated along the banks of the Rupnarayan River and holds considerable historical significance.
According to the 2011 census, Tamluk city had a population of approximately 65,306, comprising 33,260 males and 32,046 females. The overall population of the Lok Sabha constituency is in millions, with a rural majority where voters primarily consist of farmers, fishermen, and small traders.
In its political history, Tamluk was initially a stronghold for the Congress party, which won the seat in 1951 with leaders like Samanta Satish Chandra. Later, the CPI(M) established a strong presence in the area. Since 2009, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has dominated the constituency. In 2009, TMC secured victory, and in 2014, Suvendu Adhikari defeated CPI(M)’s Sheikh Ibrahim Ali by approximately 246,000 votes, garnering 55.54% of the votes compared to CPI(M)’s 40.47%.
In 2019, Divyendu Adhikari (Suvendu’s brother) won the seat for TMC with 724,433 votes, defeating BJP’s Siddharth Naskar by a margin of 190,165 votes.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections witnessed a significant upset. BJP’s Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a former Calcutta High Court judge, defeated TMC’s Debangshu Bhattacharya by a margin of 77,733 votes. Abhijit received 765,584 votes (48.54%), while TMC secured 687,851 votes (43.61%), and CPI(M)’s Sayan Banerjee received 85,389 votes (5.41%).
The total voter turnout was 1,404,353, marking BJP’s successful capture of a seat traditionally held by TMC. This victory symbolizes a strong performance for BJP in Purba Medinipur, an area previously known for its controversies, such as Nandigram.
The Tamluk constituency has witnessed a political transformation, transitioning from Congress to Left, then TMC, and now facing the rising challenge from BJP.
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