In the electoral landscape of West Bengal, there are constituencies that are nothing more than nominal entries. Then, there are those who stand as living repositories of history, bearing the imprints of legacy, struggle, and result. The Jadavpur assemblage section in the southern border of Calcutta belongs unambiguously to this rarer and more ponderous order.
Represented by former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Jadavpur has become one of the most distinguished and symbolic seats in the state.
Its name not only evokes political significance but also a profound narrative, resonating with both the triumphs and tribulations of the Left’s long journey in the state’s political theater.
The urban constituency falls within the parliamentary boundaries of the eponymous Lok Sabha seat, and is a political arena that boasts the representation of prominent figures such as former Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament, Somnath Chatterjee, and CM Mamata Banerjee.
Their association, and those before them such as Left stalwarts like Dinesh Majumdar and Ashok Mitra, gave the CPI(M) a prominent stronghold and the status shaped by its statesmanship and lasting influence in the nation’s parliamentary and political discourse.
But over the years, Jadavpur has become a contested electoral battleground, reflecting changing political dynamics, with the TMC suppressing Left dominance and tightening its political grip on the seat in 2011, the year it rose to state power.
In the past fifteen years, Jadavpur has witnessed alternating political fortunes. While the TMC won the seat twice (in 2011 and 2021), the Left managed to rebound once (in 2016), as the BJP’s growing footprint became evident during this period, as its vote share increased from a mere 1.39 per cent in 2011 to 24.67 per cent in the 2021 Assembly elections.
And in this roller coaster of a political arc, the CPI(M) has put perhaps the strongest ammunition in its quiver, former Kolkata mayor and former Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, to take on TMC’s incumbent MLA Debabrata Majumder, who doubles as Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillor, and the BJP’s Sarbari Mukherjee, a Bengali television actress.
More than his political positions, Bhattacharya’s persona as a senior advocate in the Calcutta High Court and his relentless courtroom battles against the TMC’s alleged malfeasance and graft, make him the poster boy for “Left opposition to what the TMC embodies”.
Bhattacharya has led several high-profile legal battles, including the Sarada Chit Fund scam, Operation Narada, and the West Bengal teacher recruitment scam, thus forging a courtroom legacy that transcends the boundaries of litigation.
In fact, his judicial interventions have come to reflect his political persona: a sustained, systematic, evidence-based indictment of the TMC’s lapses in governance.
“This time, we expect to remove the ‘zero’ stigma of the Left in West Bengal… The feeling at the ground level is that people want a transformation, and we hope this will benefit the Left,” he said.
The Left leader denounced what he called the “politics of subsidies” practiced by both the TMC and the BJP, describing it as a risky manifestation of “negative right-wing populism”.
Jadavpur presents a heterogeneous electorate, including students, middle-class professionals, and other urban constituencies, all of whom collectively energize a vibrant and intellectually charged political scene.
This dynamism is further enhanced by the presence of pioneering institutions such as Jadavpur University, which acts as a constant catalyst for civic and political engagement. The university, in particular, has long served as a crucible for political consciousness in the country, nurturing successive generations of student activists, public intellectuals, and civic communicators whose influence has shaped the constituency’s cultural and ideological identity.
In this context, the recent statements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he accused the state government of allowing “chaos” to control the University of Juba, opened the doors to a political conflict.
“The name of the Jewish university was once spoken of with respect around the world. Its foundation was nationalism. But today, threats echo within its buildings. Anti-national slogans are scrawled on the walls. Instead of studying, students take to the streets. We want learning, not chaos. Empathy, not intimidation,” the Prime Minister recently said at a rally.
Banerjee responded sharply and termed his remarks as an “insult to the youth of West Bengal”.
She said, “It is a center of excellence. Insulting its students is an insult to merit, thought, and the spirit of education… The students’ protest does not constitute a collapse of democracy; it is a democracy in motion.”
The university’s faculty confirmed that the University of Jordan still enjoys global recognition as a center of excellence despite the financial challenges.
“The Prime Minister’s statements and the Prime Minister’s refutation will certainly have an impact on a section of voters’ choices, especially the floating ones, once they reach the polling stations,” said political science professor Midul Islam.
The BJP’s Sarbari Mukherjee described the Left influence in Jadavpur as a “myth”, a myth that has been repeatedly shattered by voters.
“The TMC has ousted the Left several times in Jadavpur assembly and parliamentary seats, defeating it in turn time and again. This means that voters here know how to embrace change. This time they will embrace the BJP,” she said.
TMC member Majumder, who calls politics his passion rather than his profession, stresses his local roots and his “connection” with the people as his trump cards for winning the elections.
“People have witnessed the development I have brought here in terms of provision of drinking water and development of roads in a place that is crying out of civic neglect despite the grip of the Left and the CPC candidate remaining as the former mayor. I am sure I will be rewarded for that.”
