The political battlefield in West Bengal remains intense ahead of the assembly elections, which will be held in two phases: April 23 and 29, as the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are leaving no stones unturned to target each other. The TMC under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's leadership is seeking a fourth straight term, while the BJP is looking to form the government for the first time in the state.
In West Bengal, there are a total 294 constituencies, including the Maniktala assembly seat, where polling will be held. Maniktala, which was established in 1951, comes under the Kolkata Uttar Lok Sabha constituency and is part of the Kolkata district. Polling here will be held on April 29 during the second phase.
A previous Left bastion, now a TMC stronghold
For most of its history, this seat has remained a bastion of the Left alliance. From 1952 to 1969, this constituency was won by the (CPI). Then in 1971 and from 1977 to 1991, it was represented by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). In 1996, the Congress won this seat, thanks to its candidate Paresh Paul. Paul later switched to the TMC and retained Maniktala in the 2001 elections.
In the 2006 elections, CPI(M) once again won this seat. But the next three assembly elections were won by TMC's Sadhan Pande. Pande had passed away in 2022 after which his wife, Supti Pandey, was elected from the Maniktala assembly constituency in 2024 in a byelections.
Tapas Roy (BJP) vs Shreya Pande (TMC)
Considering TMC's hold on the Maniktala assembly constituency, the BJP has fielded senior leader Tapas Roy on this seat. On the other hand, the TMC has reposed its faith in Shreya Pande. The contest in the Maniktala assembly constituency has been made interesting, though, with the Congress fielding Sugato Roy Chowdhury and the CPI fielding Mousumi Ghosh.
The results for Maniktala will be declared on May 4, along with the other 293 assembly constituencies of West Bengal.
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