Bangaon: (Incumbent: Shantanu Thakur- BJP)
In the Matua-land of Bengal, BJP's Shantanu Thakur is leading by 76,365 votes whereas TMC's Biswajit Das is trailing. The issue of CAA has been the ultimate card for everyone here. Be it Modi or Mamata, Amit Shah or Abhishek Banerjee, whoever has set foot to campaign in this Indo-Bangla border constituency, there was no escape from two things -- identity politics and citizenship rights.
Trinamool’s Biswajit Das, a turncoat who had won the 2021 Assembly polls on a BJP and had switched sides, has been trying hard to renew his legacy with ‘Thakurbari’ or the headquarters of the Matuas. The seat is presently held by Shantanu Thakur, a minister in the Union government and BJP had placed its bet on him again.
All through his campaign, Shantanu also wooed Matua votes and assured people that the CAA was indeed a boon for them. The contest for Bangaon is all about promises kept, delayed and forgotten.
Assembly seats that fall under Bangaon parliamentary constituency include Kalyani, Haringhata, Bagdah, Bongaon Uttar, Bongaon Dakshin, Gaighata, Swarupnagar (Sc).
West Bengal has the third-highest seat count in the lower house. The voting on these seats in 2024 Lok Sabha polls were held across seven phases between 19 April and 1 June.
The BJP gained prominence in West Bengal during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, winning 18 seats there. With 22 seats, the TMC was still the leading party. Congress was only able to secure two seats, while left parties were unable to secure any seats. The TMC won 34 seats, sweeping the state in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. While the BJP and CPI(M) each won two seats, the Congress won four seats.
