Here’s a look at some of the details of the Alipurduars Lok Sabha seat (2)
What are the Assembly segments?
Tufangunj
Kumargram
Kalchini
Alipurduars
Falakata
Madarihat
Nagrakata
Who are the candidates this time?
Dasrath Tirkey (Trinamool Congress)
John Barla (Bharatiya Janata Party)
Mili Oraon (RSP)
Mohanlal Basumata (Congress)
Who won the seat last time?
In 2014, Trinamool Congress’ Dasrath Tirkey won the seat with 29.46% votes, followed by RSP’s Manohar Tirkey (27.72% votes). It was a close fight for the top slot. BJP got the third place (with 27. 30% votes) and Congress got the fourth place. It was one of the seats in Bengal with the closest fight between the first, second and third positions.
Who won before that?
This has been a Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) seat traditionally right from 1977, with Trinamool Congress winning it for the first time for the first time in 2014 (Dasrath Tirkey).
What about this time?
This will be a tough fight for the Trinamool Congress, going by what the situation was in 2014 itself. In 2016, one of the seven Assembly seats, Madarihat, was won by the BJP’s Manoj Tigga. The BJP has gained ground in the area, especially among tribals in the tea gardens and the BJP’s candidate John Barla is among the popular leaders in the area. However, Tirkey cannot be written off. He was once with the RSP and lawmaker for three terms in 2001, 2006 and 2011 from Madarihat constituency, before he joined the Trinamool Congress. He is a son of the soil and knows the politics of the region well.
