West Bengal Assembly election 2021, Rabindranath Bhattacharya profile: Three-time MLA to face TMC’s Becharam Manna

BJP has fielded Trinamool Congress turncoat, senior leader and incumbent Singur MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharya from the Singur Assembly constituency in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls. The three-time MLA is contesting against TMC MLA from Haripal Becharam Manna. Singur will go to polls in the fourth of eight phases on 10 April. A rift between supporters of Manna and Bhattacharya was witnessed in December 2020 over the ‘Amra Sir er Anugami’ posters in Singur, which came after Manna was appointed as the party’s block president. The district political circle opined that the separate posters were not in tune with the state and district leadership. Bhattacharya’s followers, however, said they will stay in the party and fight against the corrupt leaders and party workers in Haripal-Singur. Bhattacharya, called ‘master moshai’ by his supporters, was among five sitting TMC MLAs who joined the BJP on 8 March. The TMC had said that he was denied a ticket since he is 85-years-old and the party decided not to field any candidates of 80 years of age or older. BJP workers staged a demonstration in Singur earlier this month to express their disappointment with the party giving an election ticket to Bhattacharya. Cadres refused to accept his candidature, stating that BJP workers in Singur were targeted and even arrested due to Bhattacharya during his tenure as a TMC MLA. The Singur Assembly constituency lies in the Hooghly district, and is a part of the Hooghly Lok Sabha constituency. 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. 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. The results of the election will be declared on 2 May.