Medinipur Lok Sabha elections: BJP's Agnimitra Paul vs TMC's June Maliah
May 23, 2024
West Medinipur (West Bengal) [India], May 23 : Medinipur Lok Sabha constituency is one of the few parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal that will witness a four-cornered contest. However, the main competition is between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress.
The BJP has replaced the incumbent MP of Medinipur, Dilip Ghosh, with the party's state Mahila Morcha president, Agnimitra Paul, as its candidate for the Medinipur Lok Sabha seat. On the other hand, the TMC has fielded an actor-turned-politician, June Maliah, as its candidate. The CPI(M) and Congress have chosen Biplab Bhatta and Sambhunath Chattopadhyay as their respective candidates.
BJP's Agnimitra Paul is an Indian fashion designer-turned-politician who serves as a Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from Asansol South and as the President of the West Bengal unit of BJP Mahila Morcha.
TMC's June Maliah, an actor-turned-politician, continued her acting career even after joining the TMC. She won the state assembly elections from Medinipur in 2021.
Medinipur is historically significant for producing many freedom fighters, such as Khudiram Bose and Matangini Hazra, social reformers like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and patrons of art like Sisir Kumar Bhaduri.
The Medinipur Lok Sabha constituency comprises seven assembly segments. Six of these are in Paschim Medinipur district, and one is in Purba Medinipur district.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Dilip Ghosh, then the BJP state president, won the Medinipur constituency, defeating the TMC's Manas Ranjan Bhunia. In the 2014 elections, TMC's Sandhya Roy secured the Medinipur seat by defeating the Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate, Prabodh Panda.
Medinipur Lok Sabha constituency will vote on May 25 in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, along with Tamluk, Ghatal, Jhargram, Purulia, Bankura, and Bishnupur.
The polling in West Bengal is being conducted in seven phases. Voting has already been completed in five phases, with the last two phases scheduled for May 25 and June 1. The votes will be counted on June 4.
