By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: The election campaign for new West Bengal Assembly has got momentum with the election commission on Tuesday releasing the final list of candidates for the Phase 1 poll that will be held on April 18. The election for the 294-seat Assembly in the state will be held in six phases.
Six districts will go to poll in Phase 1. They are Coochbehar, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakhsin Dinajpur, Malda, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling – the first four are Minority Concentration Districts (MCD) with Malda having highest Muslim concentration (49.99%) of all six.
In these six districts there are 54 Assembly seats for which there are 364 candidates in the fray. Of them 57 are Muslims including 11 women. The ruling Left Front has fielded 10 Muslim candidates followed by Congress that fielded 7 Muslims while Trinamool Congress 4. There are 19 Independent Muslim candidates also in the fray.
West Bengal Phase 1: District-wise Muslim candidates
|
District |
Minority Population % |
Muslim candidates |
Seats |
Reserved |
|
Coochbehar |
24.36 (MCD) |
5 |
9 |
3 (SC) |
|
Jalpaiguri |
16.53 |
0 |
12 |
|
|
Darjeeling |
22.63 |
0 |
6 |
1 (SC) |
|
Uttar Dinajpur |
47.93 (MCD) |
20 |
9 |
|
|
Dakhsin Dinajpur |
25.51 (MCD) |
5 |
6 |
|
|
Malda |
49.99 (MCD) |
27 |
12 |
|
There are 10 Muslim MLAs in the fray for Phase 1
|
Sl . No |
Constituency |
Name |
Party |
|
1 |
Sitai |
Dr. Md. Fazle Haque |
INC |
|
2 |
Natabari |
Tamser Ali |
CPIM |
|
3 |
Kranti |
Fazlul Karim |
CPIM |
|
4 |
Chopra |
Anwarul Haque |
CPIM |
|
5 |
Islampur |
Md. Faruque |
CPIM |
|
6 |
Goalpokhar |
Ali Imran Ramz |
AIFB |
|
7 |
Kumarganj |
Mahfuza Khatun |
CPIM |
|
8 |
Kharba |
Mahabubul Haque |
INC |
|
9 |
Harishchandrapur |
Tajmul Hossain |
AIFB |
|
10 |
Suzapur |
Abu Naser Khan Chowdhury |
INC |
List of 57 Muslim candidates for Phase 1
|
Name Of The Constituency |
Candidate’s Name |
Sex |
Party |
|
Cooch Behar Dakshin |
Abdul Jalil Ahmed |
Male |
All India Trinamool Congress |
|
Dinhata |
Dr. Md. Fazle Haque |
Male |
Independent |
|
Mayamana Khatun |
Female |
Independent |
|
|
Natabari |
Tamser Ali |
Male |
Communist Party ofIndia (Marxist) |
|
Siddik Uddin Bepari |
Male |
Independent |
|
|
Chopra |
Anwarul Haque |
Male |
Communist Party ofIndia (Marxist) |
|
Hamidul Rahaman |
Male |
Independent |
|
|
Sekh Jalaludin |
Male |
All India Trinamool Congress |
|
|
Safiya Khatun |
Female |
Independent |
|
|
Islampur |
Sayeda Farhat Afroz |
Female |
Communist Party ofIndia (Marxist) |
|
Abdul Karim Chowdhary |
Male |
All India Trinamool Congress |
|
|
Umar Ali |
Male |
Bahujan Samaj Party |
|
|
Md. Nadeem Akhter |
Male |
Independent |
|
|
Goalpokhar |
Safiur Rahaman |
Male |
All India Forward Block |
|
Kamaruzzama |
Male |
Bahujan Samaj Party |
|
|
Shaukat Ali |
Male |
Bharatiya Janata Party |
|
|
Md. Ghulam Rabbani |
Male |
Indian National Congress |
|
|
Chakulia |
Ali Imran Ramz |
Male |
All India Forward Block |
|
Serajul Islam |
Male |
Indian National Congress |
|
|
Karandighi |
Muktar Ahamed |
Male |
Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) |
|
Arshad Alam |
Male |
Bharatiya Janata Party |
|
|
Md. Hafijul Iqbal |
Male |
Independent |
|
|
Itahar |
Suleman Hafiji |
Male |
CPI (ML) (LIBERATION) |
|
Md. Rabbul Boksh |
Male |
Independent |
|
|
Abdur Razzaque |
Male |
Indian People”s Forward Bloc |
|
|
Kumarganj |
Mahfuza Khatun |
Female |
Communist Party ofIndia (Marxist) |
|
Abdullah Shaikh |
Male |
PDCI |
|
|
Mahamuda Begam |
Female |
All India Trinamool Congress |
|
|
Khajer Mondal |
Male |
Independent |
|
|
Harirampur |
Sahajahan Badsha |
Male |
Independent |
|
Chanchal |
Asif Mehbub |
Male |
Indian National Congress |
|
Anjuman Ara Begam |
Female |
Communist Party ofIndia (Marxist) |
|
|
Abdul Khaleque |
Male |
Independent |
|
|
Harischandrapur |
Mostaque Alam |
Male |
Indian National Congress |
|
Tajmul Hossain |
Male |
All India Forward Block |
|
|
Efrajul Hoque |
Male |
Bahujan Samaj Party |
|
|
Monowara Begam |
Female |
Independent |
|
|
Malatipur |
Abdur Rahim Boxi |
Male |
Revolutionary Socialist party |
|
Al-Beruni |
Male |
Independent |
|
|
Tahida Khatun |
Female |
Bahujan Samaj Party |
|
|
Abdul Khaleque |
Male |
Independent |
|
|
Ratua |
Imdadul Hoque |
Male |
Independent |
|
Ataur |
Male |
Independent |
|
|
Manikchak |
Lutpha Khatun |
Female |
INDIAN PEOPLE”S FORWARD BLOC |
|
Mothabari |
Sabina Yeasmin |
Female |
Indian National Congress |
|
Naimuddin Sheikh |
Male |
Communist Party ofIndia (Marxist) |
|
|
Shenaz Quadery |
Female |
Independent |
|
|
Rajab Ali |
Male |
CPI(M-L) LIBERATION |
|
|
Md. Faruque Hossain |
Male |
Independent |
|
|
Firoj Akhtar |
Male |
Bahujan Samaj Party |
|
|
Sujapur |
Md. Ezaruddin |
Male |
Muslim League, Kerala State Committee |
|
Sekh Ketabuddin |
Male |
Communist Party ofIndia (Marxist) |
|
|
Abu Nasar Khan Choudhury |
Male |
Indian National Congress |
|
|
Abdur Rouf Ansari |
Male |
Bahujan Samaj Party |
|
|
Baisnabnagar |
Isha Khan Choudhury |
Male |
Indian National Congress |
|
Manirul |
Male |
Independent |
|
|
Manjur Alahi Munshi |
Male |
JANATA DALL (UNITED ) |
Muslim MLAs fighting to retain their seat
There are many sitting Muslim MLAs who are fighting to retain their seat. Mahfuza Khatun, sitting MLA of CPI-M in Kumarganj constituency, is contesting for the seat again. But this time she is being challenged by another Muslim woman Mahamuda Begum of Trinamool Congress.
Mahfuza Khatun, CPM, Kumarganj
Fazle Haque, Ind, Dinhata
Mahamuda Begum candidate of TMC at Kumarganj Constituency
Besides, Dr Fazle Haque is sitting MLA of Congress in Sitai constituency. But now the seat has been reserved for SC, so the Congress has denied him ticket. But he has not sat at home. Rather, he is contesting as Independent candidate in Dinhata Constituency. Under the arrangement, Congress has left this seat for TMC. TMC declared they will not contest for this seat as due to alliance with NCP the seat was left for NCP. The NCP has fielded Amiya Sarkar, a non-Muslim, for the seat.
[Photos courtesy: Sakalbela newspaper]