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25,000 'Unmapped' Voters Summoned in Jyoti Basu's Former Bengal Seat

A staggering 25,000 voters labeled as 'unmapped' have been summoned for hearings regarding the draft electoral roll in West Bengal's Satgachia Assembly constituency. This seat was the long-time stronghold of former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, who represented it for five consecutive terms. The constituency later saw Trinamool Congress's Sonali Guha win multiple terms before she defected to the BJP after being denied a nomination in 2021. The high number of summons has brought significant political attention to the area, which falls under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency represented by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee.

Key Points: 25,000 Unmapped Voters Called in Bengal's Satgachia Constituency

  • 25,000 voters summoned for hearings
  • Satgachia was Jyoti Basu's stronghold
  • Sonali Guha switched from TMC to BJP
  • Constituency now under Abhishek Banerjee's LS seat
2 min read

Bengal SIR: 25,000 'unmapped' voters summoned for hearing from Satgachia, late Jyoti Basu's stronghold

Massive voter list scrutiny in Jyoti Basu's old seat Satgachia sees 25,000 summoned for hearings, highlighting political shifts and historical significance.

"she never deserved such treatment after blindly shadowing Mamata Banerjee - Sonali Guha"

Kolkata, Jan 14

A record number of 25,000 "unmapped" voters have been summoned for hearings on claims and objections on the draft voters' list in West Bengal from the single Assembly constituency of Satgachia in South 24 Parganas district, the seat of the former Chief Minister and iconic Indian Marxist, Late Jyoti Basu.

In fact, he was the last CPI(M) legislator from that constituency to be elected for five consecutive terms, since 1977, the year the 34-year-long CPI(M)-led Left Front regime began in the state.

Until his retirement before the 2001 West Bengal Assembly elections, he was the party legislator from Satgachia.

After his retirement, CPI(M) was never able to win in any Assembly election from that constituency.

Heavyweight Trinamool Congress leader and former Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Assembly, Sonali Guha, succeeded Basu as the legislator from Satgachia in the 2001 elections.

Guha has been elected from that constituency for four consecutive terms.

However, in the 2021 Assembly election, Guha, once considered the shadow companion of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was denied the nomination by the party.

An aggrieved Guha joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and she continues with the BJP to date. Before joining the BJP ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections, she expressed her annoyance with the Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee. She said she never deserved such treatment after blindly shadowing Mamata Banerjee since the beginning of the latter's political journey, first with Congress and then with Trinamool Congress.

Satgachia is one of the seven Assembly constituencies under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency from where Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress' general secretary, is the representative.

With so many voters from Satgachia being summoned for hearings, the matter has gained prominence in the political circles of the state, both for its historical and present perspectives.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Satgachia has such a rich political history, from Jyoti Basu's era to now. Finding so many unlisted voters there shows how crucial voter list purification is. Hope the hearings are fair for all parties involved.
S
Suresh O
The story of Sonali Guha switching from TMC to BJP shows how volatile Bengal politics has become. But the main issue is the voters - such a large number being "unmapped" needs a proper explanation, not just political blame games.
A
Ananya R
As a citizen, I appreciate that this process is happening. Better late than never to clean the voter list. Every vote should count, but it must be a legitimate vote. 👏
D
David E
Interesting to see a constituency with such legacy in the news. The scale of 25,000 people is massive. Hopefully, the hearings are conducted smoothly without harassment to genuine residents.
K
Karthik V
With Abhishek Banerjee as the Lok Sabha MP from this area, all eyes will be on how this unfolds. The EC has a tough job, but it's necessary for the integrity of elections. Let's see if this leads to a more accurate list.

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