Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency: Candidates for 2019 LS poll, past results, all updates

Among the seven seats in Bengal, which are going to polls in the fifth phase on 6th May, BJP is most hopeful about Barrackpore. In this fledgling industrial belt, BJP has fielded Bahubali candidate Arjun Singh, who till recently was with TMC. Arjun Singh left the party after being denied ticket and the Bhatpara MLA promptly joined BJP and has vowed to defeat current TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi. Former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi who has had an on-off relationship with his party owes partial credit of his victories in 2009 and 2014 to his then election agent Arjun Singh. With robust man management skills, Singh ensured support for TMC in what used to be a complete Left bastion. The Left cadre shifted to TMC and ensured that the party ruled the roost in Barrackpore which is located in North 24 Pargana District, just outside Kolkata. 

Mamata Banerjee has termed Arjun Singh as gaddar whereas in the campaign trail, PM Modi said that 40 TMC MLAs are in contact with them. There is no doubt that Arjun Singh's victory will embolden several of them to take the plunge to the saffron party. That's why fight for Barrackpore is so crucial, as it can become a turning point in Bengal politics. Largely cosmopolitan Barrackpore has around 35-40% Hindi-speaking population and BJP will be hoping Arjun Singh will get most of them. There is also a 15% minority votebank which will be solidly standing besides TMC. 

The assembly segments under Barrackpore are  Amdanga, Bijpur, Naihati, Bhatpara, Jagatdal, Noapara, and Barrackpur. TMC currently holds all the assembly seats but it is unlikely to be smooth sailing on 6th May. It will surely lose votes in Bhatpara and Battackpur. Arjun Singh's close relative Sunil Singh is TMC MLA from Noapara. Mukul Roy's son Subhrangshu is TMC MLA from Bijpur. How well the party cadres will work there is doubtful and is keeping TMC leadership tensed. However, the party is hopeful of big lead from Amdanga where there is a significant proportion of minority voters. 

Historically, CPI(M) have won the seat nine times. Out of these, Tarit Baran Topdar, CPI(M)'s strongman from Barrackpore won six times at a stretch from 1989-2004. His juggernaut was broken by TMC's non-Bengali face Dinesh Trivedi in 2009 when he won by 56,000 votes. Dinesh Trivedi tightened his grip significantly in 2014, when he won against CPI(M)'s Subhashini Ali by 2.07 lakh votes. CPI(M)'s Gargi Chatterjee and Congress Md. Alam are also in the fray. 

Elections for 42 seats in West Bengal are taking place in seven phases. In 2014, TMC got 34, Congress 4 and BJP and CPI(M) won two seats each in the state.