Cooch Behar, March 27 – An atmosphere of unease prevails among residents of the Dinhata and Sitalkuchi constituencies in Cooch Behar district, North Bengal, as the April 23 elections approach. Voters are apprehensive, especially given the history of political violence in the region.
These constituencies are considered hotspots for political clashes, with minor skirmishes between TMC and BJP workers often escalating into violent confrontations involving bombs and firearms, leading to bloodshed and disruption of law and order.
Udayan Guha, the incumbent MLA from Dinhata and also the North Bengal Development Minister, has focused on the TMC's development agenda during the campaign, avoiding the provocative statements that are characteristic of the TMC. This is seen as a strategic move by Guha, who is facing a relatively inexperienced BJP opponent, Ajay Roy.
"Guha knows that he is facing Ajay Roy, a political newcomer, rather than Nisith Pramanik, his main rival in the saffron camp," said Prabir Kundu, a local journalist. "This gives him a better chance of winning."
Udayan Guha, son of Kamal Guha, a six-time legislator from the Forward Bloc, has been an MLA since 2011. He won his first term as a Left leader, and the subsequent two as a TMC politician.
In the 2021 election, Guha defeated Pramanik by just 57 votes. He secured a significant victory in a by-election, winning with over 1.6 lakh votes and 84% of the vote share after Pramanik vacated the seat to become a union minister.
During the 2021 post-poll violence, Guha was attacked in Dinhata, resulting in a hand fracture. He blamed the BJP for the attack.
In the 2023 panchayat elections, a clash between two groups resulted in one death and four injuries.
In March 2025, a group of suspected TMC supporters attacked Nikhil Ranjan Dey, the BJP MLA of Cooch Behar Dakshin, while he was leaving the court premises in Dinhata. He was implicated in an old political violence case.
Three days later, several people were injured in a clash between TMC and BJP workers in the same area.
In August 2025, several BJP workers were injured after miscreants vandalized their homes in Salmara, Dinhata. During the attack, the assailants allegedly assaulted a pregnant woman, causing her injury.
Amidst this volatile situation, there is growing discontent over the Systematic Repoll Operation (SIRO), in which an estimated 26,000 names have been removed from electoral rolls or placed under scrutiny.
This primarily affects residents of the 51 former Bangladeshi enclaves, most of which fall within the Dinhata constituency. These enclaves were integrated into India in 2015 after a border exchange with Bangladesh.
"Despite the Election Commission's assurances, about 80% of us, approximately 8,000 people, remain under scrutiny with only a few weeks left until the polls," said Jaynal Abedin, a resident of Madhya Mashaldanga, a former enclave. "It is ironic that our citizenship is once again being questioned, despite the central government recognizing us as Indian citizens."
"Our repeated appeals to the Election Commission and the district administration have gone unanswered. We are planning to file a lawsuit after waiting for a few more days to see if we are included in the supplementary rolls," added Saddam Hossain of Powaturkuthi, another former enclave.
Diptiman Sengupta, a BJP leader who led the movement to protect the rights of enclave dwellers before their exchange, stated that he would rather support the affected enclave dwellers than the SIRO exercise.
"My leadership in the enclave movement paved the way for the party. That was my base. My bond with them will always be stronger than my duties towards the party," he said.
The volatile political environment of Dinhata was further highlighted during the 2021 state elections in adjacent Sitalkuchi, where polling day violence resulted in five deaths. This put the otherwise obscure assembly seat in the national spotlight.
Four youths were killed during polling after CISF personnel opened fire at a school in Jorpatki village, Sitalkuchi. The forces claimed that they were forced to open fire in self-defense while protecting the polling booth, voters, and polling staff after they were attacked by villagers.
In a separate incident on the same day, a BJP supporter and a first-time voter were shot dead by two motorcyclists outside a polling booth in another village.
In 2021, BJP's Baren Chandra Burman defeated TMC's Partha Pratim Ray by nearly 18,000 votes, wresting Sitalkuchi from the ruling TMC, which had held the seat since 2011.
In a political strategy, the TMC fielded Harihar Das, a close associate of BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ananta Maharaj, from the seat. This was a strategic move to reshape the local dynamics.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee last month conferred Ananta Maharaj, who has long advocated for a separate Greater Cooch Behar state or a Union Territory, with Bengal's highest Banga Vibhushan award for his "efforts towards the socio-economic development of the Rajbanshi community."
The BJP has also fielded Savitri Barman, a fresher and party district Mahila Morcha leader, as its candidate.