A staggering 25,000 “unmapped” voters have been called for hearings on claims and objections regarding the draft voters’ list in West Bengal’s Satgachia Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district. This constituency was represented by the late Jyoti Basu, an iconic Indian Marxist and former Chief Minister, who held the seat for five consecutive terms starting from 1977.
Jyoti Basu, the last CPI(M) legislator from Satgachia, served until his retirement before the 2001 West Bengal Assembly elections. Following his retirement, the CPI(M) failed to secure a victory in any subsequent Assembly election in this constituency. Sonali Guha, a prominent Trinamool Congress leader and former Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Assembly, succeeded Basu in the 2001 elections and has since won four consecutive terms.
Despite being a close associate of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Sonali Guha was unexpectedly denied the party’s nomination for the 2021 Assembly election. Subsequently, she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after expressing dissatisfaction with the Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee. Guha’s move to the BJP has stirred political discussions, given her longstanding association with Mamata Banerjee.
Satgachia, part of the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, is significant as it is represented by Abhishek Banerjee, the general secretary of the Trinamool Congress. The summoning of a large number of voters from Satgachia for hearings has sparked interest in political circles in West Bengal, drawing attention to both historical and current perspectives.
