A retired jawan from Tripura’s elite Tripura State Rifles (TSR) has transitioned into politics by actively participating in the West Bengal Assembly elections. Tarak Saha, a former Rifleman of the TSR, chose voluntary retirement in 2019 and is now contesting from Swarupnagar, a reserved seat for the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee.
Swarupnagar, a stronghold of the ruling Trinamool Congress, is a significant Legislative Assembly constituency in West Bengal situated in the North 24 Parganas district. Saha will compete against CPI(M)-led Left Front candidate Biswajit Mondal and Trinamool Congress nominee Bina Mondal in what is expected to be a closely contested election.
In the previous 2021 Assembly elections, the seat was won by Trinamool Congress’ Bina Mandal, who defeated the BJP’s Brindaban Sarkar by a margin of 34,772 votes. Speaking to the media, BJP candidate Tarak Saha expressed confidence in winning the election and emphasized the need for development in Swarupnagar, criticizing the lack of progress during the Trinamool rule.
Saha, who joined the TSR as a Rifleman in 1998 and served until 2019 before opting for voluntary retirement, highlighted the importance of railway connectivity for the agricultural-based region of Swarupnagar. The upcoming elections in Swarupnagar (SC) are scheduled for the second phase on April 29, with the results set to be announced on May 4.
