West Bengal Assembly election 2021, Kashipur profile: TMC's Swapan Beltharia won seat in 2016, seeks third term

The Kashipur constituency lies in the Purulia district of West Bengal. It is part of the Purulia Lok Sabha constituency. In 2016, the constituency had a total of 2,16,953 registered electors. Polling for the Kashipur Assembly constituency will take place on  27 March  during the first phase of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election. The TMC has fielded sitting MLA Swapan Kumar Beltharia from the seat. He faces Mallika Mahata of CPM, Kamalakantha Hansda of the BJP, Dipak Mahato of SUCI (Communist) and Narendra Nath Mahata of Amra Bangalee. A total of 30 seats are undergoing polling in the first phase. These seats are spread across tribal-dominated Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Purba Medinipur (Part 1) and Paschim Medinipur (Part 1) districts which were once considered the citadel of the Left. Campaigning  for the first phase  of the West Bengal Assembly elections came to an end at 5 pm on 25 March. Voter turnout in previous election The voter turnout in the 2016 Assembly election was 82.83 percent. Past election results and winners In 2011, TMC’s Swapan Kumar Beltharia won against CPM’s Subhas Chandra Mahata with a margin of 3,721 votes. In 2016,  Beltharia had trounced CPM’s Sudin Kisku by a margin of 19,578 votes. Elections for the West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases, up from seven last time, beginning with polling for 30 seats on 27 March, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said while announcing the poll schedule. The second phase of West Bengal’s assembly elections has been scheduled for 1 April and will cover 30 constituencies, followed by the third phase on 6 April for 31 seats, the fourth on 10 April for 44 constituencies, the fifth on 17 April for 45 seats, sixth for 43 seats on 22 April, seventh phase on 26 April for 36 seats and last and eighth phase on 29 April for 35 seats, Arora said. The results of the election will be declared on 2 May.