How Dhupguri Bypoll Will Be A Litmus Test For INDIA Opposition Bloc's Unity

The unity of the INDIA opposition coalition will come to test in the forthcoming by-election in the Dhupguri assembly constituency. as its key constituents, the TMC and the Congress-CPI(M) alliance, will go head-to-head in an effort to capture the rural seat in North Bengal currently held by the BJP.

On the other hand, The BJP seeks to halt the decline in its voter support and secure victory in this election. Meanwhile, the TMC is determined to capture the tribal-dominated assembly segment, and the CPI(M)-Congress alliance is eager to reclaim its long-held traditional seat.

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of its sitting BJP MLA Bishu Pada Ray earlier this year.

CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim and Congress president Adhir Rajan Chowdhury organized a massive rally in Dhupguri, criticizing both the TMC and the BJP. This rally coincided with their central leadership participating in a brainstorming session with the TMC and other anti-BJP parties at the third INDIA opposition meeting, where they discussed strategies to defeat the saffron camp in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Despite the CPI(M), Congress, and TMC labelling these elections as local in nature and having no impact on opposition unity efforts, the BJP has vehemently highlighted the divisions within the INDIA coalition.

"It is a local election and has nothing to do with the INDIA opposition bloc. At the local level, we are fighting our own battle," state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.

The fight is against both the communal BJP and the misrule of the TMC, and the battle in Dhupguri is no exception, CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said.

"What is happening in Dhupguri has no bearing on the efforts of the INDIA opposition bloc at the national level. But it is true that in Bengal, at times, the role of the CPI(M) and Congress is helping the BJP. We are steadfast in our fight against the BJP," TMC MP Santanu Sen said.

The TMC has gone to great lengths to regain the seat it had previously won twice since 2011. They have also made a commitment to make Dhupguri a "sub-division by the end of this year."

The BJP, facing internal challenges in West Bengal due to defections of its MLAs and a sharp decline in voter support, is exerting maximum effort to hold onto the seat and break the pattern of losing in all the by-elections since its defeat in the 2021 assembly elections. In the previous assembly polls, the BJP had secured victory in this constituency with 45.65 per cent of the votes, while the TMC had garnered 43.5 per cent.

According to political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty, the upcoming by-poll presents intriguing dynamics. It will be interesting to observe how the Left-Congress coalition, which has been gradually reclaiming its position following its by-poll victory in Sagardighi earlier this year, sustains its upward momentum, especially considering their collaboration with the TMC on the national stage.

"The Left-Congress was gaining as anti-TMC votes shifted from the BJP to them. Now, after the opposition INDIA bloc meeting where it thrice shared the dais with the TMC, it has to be seen how they manage those contradictions at the ground level," PTI quoted him as saying.