Sainthia: 50% voters women for 3 female contenders

KOLKATA: Women voters are going to play the key role in deciding the member of the Legislative Assembly from Sainthia in Birbhum where candidates of all three political parties - TMC, BJP and CPI(M) – are women.

Around 50 percent of the voters out of 2.55 lakh electorates in Sainthia are women. TMC has fielded its sitting MLA from the constituency and primary school teacher Nilabati Saha. BJP’s candidate from the constituency is homemaker Piya Saha while CPI(M) has fielded Mausumi Konai,who is a private tutor.

Sainthia is one of the 11 Assembly constituencies in Birbhum district.

The constituency, which is a part of Birbhum parliamentary seat, comprising both urban and rural parts with areas under Sainthia Municipality, six gram panchayats of Sainthia

Block and six gram panchayats of Mohammad Bazar and Suri II blocks falls within the jurisdiction of the constituency.

In 2016, TMC had won the constituency for the first time with Nilabati Saha becoming the MLA defeating CPI(M)’s Dhiren Bagdi. The constituency was a Left stronghold for 40 long years.

In the past five years, the constituency has got a new state general hospital at Sainthia town beside a fire fighting station, new bus terminus and tap water supply to almost every household with the initiatives taken by the Mamata

Banerjee government. Besides, highlighting the development carried out by the TMC government in the past five years, Saha was found laying stress on door-to-door campaign.

Though TMC won by around 39,000 votes in 2016, the party is trying to increase the margin this time.

TMC had trailed by only 215 (postal ballot) votes against BJP at the Assembly constituency in the 2019 Parliamentary polls.

Nilabati Saha said: “I am confident of my win for the second consecutive term.”

TMC claimed that BJP’s factional feud is a cause of concern for the saffron camp in the constituency as around 150 workers had resigned following resentment over the fielding of candidates.

BJP candidate, Piya Saha said: “All problems have been sorted out and workers are giving their best for the party’s win.”

Around 50 percent of the voters out of 2.55 lakh electorates in Sainthia seat are women