Kolkata: In the changing dynamics of West Bengal politics, Kanthi, the home turf of Adhikaris, precisely the fort of BJP’s go-to man Suvendu Adhikari, presents a contrast and volatility.
The contrast is exemplified by the fact that the BJP, a party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is at the heart of allegation of promoting dynastic politics due to its fielding of three-time TMC MP from Kanthi and youngest of the Adhikari brothers, Soumendu, for the seat this year.
Identity vs party politics
Adhikari family holds sway in this part of West Bengal where identity politics towers over party politics. The home turf of TMC turncoat but now BJP heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari, appears to be volatile on account of opposing factors of the saffron party sharply gaining political ground and the TMC desperate to retain its sway over voters.
Located in East Midnapore district, the Kanthi seat exemplifies dynasty politics through the influence of the state’s Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, whose family members have held key political positions in the past and continue to wield substantial power in the region, poll watchers believe.
TMC challenges BJP’s ‘dynasty’ politics
In recent times, Trinamool Congress (TMC) challenged Narendra Modi-led BJP to expel ‘dynasty leaders’ like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Anurag Thakur, Pankaj Singh and Suvendu Adhikari to prove that Modi is not a ‘pathological liar.’
BJP and TMC are often at loggerheads over dynasty politics with the BJP top leaders like Modi and Amit Shah often attacking TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee with their ‘nepotism’ jibes. Abhishek, on several occasions, had said that he would resign if the BJP could make their leaders, who have come to politics following the legacy of their ancestors, resign.
The erstwhile TMC bastion in East Midnapore appears to be witnessing a saffron wave as BJP looks emboldened by its recent rural poll successes and the Adhikari family’s defection to the saffron camp, the TMC seems to be counting on its grassroots connections and the state’s welfare schemes which the party believes have attained last-mile connectivity with the electorate.
An acid test for BJP, TMC
he poll results would, hence, serve as a litmus test for the endurance of political dynasty and durability of the Adhikari family legacy, revealing whether their support base has followed them across party lines.
According to political observers, Kanthi presents a unique dynamic, as compared to other constituencies of the state, featuring a distinctly bipolar electoral landscape where voters face a clear choice between supporting the BJP and its national agenda or favouring the TMC government in Bengal and its welfare schemes.
“In Kanthi, the binary nature of the contest underscores the significance of the political stakes involved, as voters will weigh their preferences between national and regional priorities. It will be a vote of ‘Yes-BJP or No BJP and Yes-TMC or No-TMC’,” political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said.
Known for its fluctuating political affiliations, Kanthi has moved on from being an erstwhile CPI(M) stronghold to a TMC bastion and, more recently, to a key political arena of the BJP.
The initial transformation from the Left to the TMC was spurred by the 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition movement. The significant shift was driven by a grassroots uprising that followed strong disillusionment with CPI(M)’s land acquisition policies.
Since then the Adhikaris, led by the family patriarch Sisir Adhikari and his sons Suvendu, Dibyendu, and Soumendu, have held key political positions within the TMC in the region. A dramatic shift occurred in December 2020, barely months ahead of the state assembly polls, when Suvendu defected from the TMC to the BJP.
This move significantly altered the political balance of Kanthi and Purba Medinipur. Suvendu’s departure from the TMC meant not just the loss of a key leader of Mamata Banerjee’s party but also the transfer of a considerable support base to the BJP.
In the 2021 state elections, the BJP won four out of the seven assembly segments in Kanthi, reducing TMC’s grip over only three seats. The saffron party followed up that victory with an impressive performance in the 2023 panchayat polls, further cementing the BJP’s growing influence in the region.
An analysis of the rural poll results in Purba Medinipur reveals that in 24 of the 70 Zilla Parishad seats, the TMC’s victory margin over the BJP was even lesser than the number of votes amassed by the Left, a force that had nearly been wiped out from the region. Ultimately, the TMC managed to retain 55 seats while the BJP won 15.
Three-time TMC MP from Kanthi and youngest of the Adhikari brothers, Soumendu, is BJP’s nominee for the seat this year. The TMC has fielded local leader Uttam Barik, whereas the Left-Congress alliance has nominated Congress leader Urbashi Bhattacharya from the constituency.
“Our organisational strength has increased in this area in the last three years and with the Adhikari family on our side, we are confident of winning the Kanthi seat this time,” said BJP’s Panchayat Samiti member Swadesh Adhikary,