Vote counting in the Rashbehari Assembly constituency, along with 292 other seats, has begun. The contest here is between Trinamool Congress candidate Debasish Kumar against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Swapan Dasgupta.
Kumar, the sitting MLA from Rashbehari, secured the seat in the 2021 Assembly elections by defeating BJP’s Subrata Saha with a margin of over 21,000 votes. He also serves as the president of the South Calcutta District Trinamool Congress Committee.
Who is winning Rashbehari?
Counting begins in Rashbehari. BJP's Swapan Dasgupta has takes early lead.
Dasgupta, a former journalist, was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 2016 to 2022, barring a few months in between. In 2021, he resigned from the upper house to contest the West Bengal Assembly elections from Tarakeswar on a BJP ticket but lost by more than 7,000 votes. He was later re-nominated to the Rajya Sabha to complete the remainder of his term.
Rashbehari has long been considered a stronghold of the ruling Trinamool Congress, retaining its hold over the seat for nearly three decades. However, the stakes are higher this time. Senior BJP leaders, including Union Minister Amit Shah and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, held a roadshow in the constituency in support of Dasgupta during his nomination.
Demography of Rashbehari seat
Established in 1957, the Rashbehari Assembly constituency falls within Kolkata district and is part of the Kolkata Dakshin Lok Sabha segment. It is an urban constituency, largely comprising Bengali Hindu middle- and upper-middle-class voters.
