Former West Bengal cabinet heavyweight, Jyotipriya Mallick, who faced PDS irregularities accusations and was previously detained by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), is considering running from an alternate Assembly constituency. Mallick, a Trinamool Congress legislator representing the Habra constituency in North 24 Parganas district, aims to shift locations despite winning three consecutive terms from Habra in 2011, 2016, and 2021.
Mallick, a former two-time Trinamool Congress legislator from the Gaighata constituency, expressed his intention to contest from a different constituency in the upcoming Assembly elections. He highlighted that his past transitions between constituencies have been driven by the demands of the time.
Observers speculate that Mallick’s desire for a new constituency stems from the electoral trends in Habra during recent elections, where his victory margins have been narrow. The statistics from the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls in Habra have raised concerns for Mallick.
In the 2021 elections, Mallick secured victory in Habra with a slim margin of 3,841 votes, prompting a reassessment of his electoral strategy. The shifting dynamics in Habra, particularly evident in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 and 2024, have added complexity to Mallick’s decision-making process.
State BJP committee member, Tapas Mitra, criticized Mallick’s reluctance to contest from Habra, suggesting it reflects an attempt to evade a potential defeat. Mitra insinuated that Mallick’s legal issues related to ration distribution corruption have tarnished his reputation, predicting a challenging electoral path for the Trinamool Congress.
