Jalpaiguri, March 18 -- Before the announcement of the polling day for the 18th Parliamentary election, campaigning had already commenced with the declaration of candidates for the Jalpaiguri constituency by both the TMC and the Left Front. However, the BJP's presence in the field seemed subdued, as they had yet to announce their candidate.

Despite this, there were indications of their influence among grassroots workers and supporters. Within the BJP, internal discussions and speculation regarding the potential candidate were in full swing. Meanwhile, the TMC intensified its campaign efforts, making organisational changes within its teachers' organisations in an attempt to secure the Jalpaiguri seat from the BJP in the upcoming election.

A district-level BJP worker, speaking anonymously, revealed that their campaign was limited to displaying the party symbol, as the candidate had not been announced yet. However, there was concern that this lack of clarity might be affecting the morale of some party workers.

Reports from Jalpaiguri district BJP sources suggested that names like Swapna Barman, Kamlesh Biswas and Soumen Roy had been proposed as potential candidates, in addition to Jayant Kumar Roy. Despite this, the party had not made an official announcement regarding the candidate, leading to perceptions that the district BJP was lagging behind in terms of campaign momentum. Nonetheless, district BJP president Bapi Goswami remained optimistic, stating: "Despite the candidate not being named, our workers are actively campaigning using the party's symbol. Furthermore, significant developments have taken place in this Lok Sabha constituency over the past five years, garnering support from the general public."

Pre-poll campaigning holds significant importance for every political party. Consequently, the TMC and Left Front wasted no time in launching their campaigns following the announcement of candidates. They employed various tactics, ranging from wall writings to poster banners and engaged in public relations activities with their respective candidates.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.