Monday 12 May 2014

Bengal

Acid test for CPI-M in Contai parliamentary seat


  • The Statesman
  • 11 May 2014
biswabrata goswami
Contai, 10 May: The electoral battle for the Contai parliamentary seat will be an acid test for the Opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) as it’s young candidate would take on the veteran Trinamul Congress candidate Mr Sisir Adhikari, who has  completed over 51 years in public life representing people in the gram panchayat, municipality, Assembly and Parliament.
The CPI-M candidate, Mr Tapas Sinha, however, has no such experience like Mr Adhikari, but he has led the largest youth organ, World Federation of Democratic Youth, as coordinator for three times and he adorned the highest posts of Democratic Youth Federation of India for consecutive few years in recent times. To win the battle, he has left no stones unturned.
Taking on the challenge will be the CPI-M’s 48-year-old Mr Sinha, who worked up the ladder, beginning as a student leader and going on to become a state committee member of the party.
But, at 73, Mr Adhikari is not willing to misjudge the young opponent and he is doing everything to win the polls. This strategic view could have made the battle tough for the young comrade.
“Whoever be the opponent, whatever be his or her strength, I do not take anyone lightly…. I contest the polls to win,” said Mr Adhikari, who had also served his duties as chairman of Contai Municipality for 33 years.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Adhikari had won by over 1.29 lakh votes. The cumulative margin came down to around 82,000 in the 2011 Assembly elections, but the war horse is sure to sail through without any hiccups even this time.
Mr Sinha, on the flipside, is hoping to win the poll based on the facts which he believes that young voters would cast their votes in favour of his party. “Young voters should thoroughly evaluate the capability of the contesting candidates to ensure development for the area”, said a CPI-M leader. Political analysts feel that it is important for the young voters,  about 40 per cent of the registered voters, to consider the factors of networking and support system for the candidate for development.

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