Echoes of January 2024 violence reverberate through Sandeshkhali, positioning this Sundarbans constituency as a 2026 Bengal poll battleground. North 24 Parganas’ ST-reserved seat, reformed in 2011, mirrors the delta’s dualities: bountiful waters masking perennial perils.
Rivers dictate rhythms—matsya for fishermen, dhan for tillers—while breaches and brackish floods loom large. Fully village-based with 2.5 lakh electors (SCs dominant, STs/Muslims key), it records stellar participation despite minor slips.
CPI(M) long reigned (10 wins, 1977-2011 unbroken), yielding to TMC’s Sukumar Mahata in 2016 and 2021. BJP, from fringes to formidable second, led Lok Sabha counts recently, setting up a razor-thin contest.
The game-changer: ED crackdowns exposed TMC operatives’ reign of terror—land encroachments, rapes, murders alleged. Mobs torched homes; outrage boiled over. TMC’s aura cracked, birthing a vengeful electorate.
Strategists bet on BJP harvesting this harvest of anger, bolstering SC/ST bases. TMC faces image rehab uphill; Left-Congress linger as wild cards. Sandeshkhali transcends a poll patch—it’s Bengal’s microcosm of power, protest, and possible pivot.