By IANS,
Kolkata: Biplab Mitra had come to be known as “Haru” (loser) Mitra after losing all the six elections that he contested between 1977 and 2009. But his fortunes changed in his seventh attempt and he not only emerged victorious in the 2011 West Bengal assembly elections but also unseated a Left Front minister.
Mitra’s tryst with elections started 1977 when he stood from the Gangarampur assembly constituency in South Dinjapur as an Independent but lost. Since then he had tried out his luck both in the assembly as well as the Lok Sabha elections five more times, but ended up on the losing side each time.
His non-stop losing streak had earned him the sobriquet “Haru”. The 2011 election however, saw Mitra’s fortune reversed dramatically. He emerged victorious from Harirampur in South Dinajpur, defeating Animal Resource Minister Narayan Biswas by over 7,000 votes.
The Trinamool Congress legislator had earlier exuded confidence of turning seventh time lucky. “I lost the Lok Sabha polls in 2009, but I had taken a handsome lead in the Harirampur assembly constituency. So I am confident of winning from here this time,” Mitra had said.
Mitra’s victory snapped his long-running losing streak unlike Kaka Joginder Singh who had become a popular and interesting figure on the electoral scene by contesting a record 350 elections, including those for president, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, as well as for 14 state assemblies and legislative councils but losing all the contests.