Domkal Assembly Election 2024

Established in 1967, Domkal has gone to the polls 14 times. It was long considered a bastion of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which won the seat 11 times, including nine consecutive victories between 1977 and 2016. The Congress party interrupted this streak twice, first in 1969 and again in 1972. CPM’s Anisur Rahman emerged as a towering figure in the constituency, winning six consecutive terms from 1991 to 2016. However, the cracks in CPM’s dominance began to show in 2011 and 2016, when it scraped through with narrow margins of 3,075 and 6,890 votes respectively, even as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) steadily gained ground.

The 2021 Assembly elections marked a decisive shift. TMC’s Jafikul Islam defeated CPM’s Mohd. Mostafijur Rahaman by a margin of 47,229 votes, securing 56.45 percent of the vote against CPM’s 35.57 percent. The BJP, which had been a fringe player, polled 5.46 percent of the vote. Congress, once a formidable force, did not contest the seat, having aligned with the Left Front.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, CPM showed signs of revival, narrowing TMC’s lead in the Domkal Assembly segment to 13,471 votes, almost identical to the 13,696-vote lead TMC had registered in the 2019 parliamentary polls. This consistency suggests that the contest in Domkal remains open-ended.

One of the defining features of Domkal’s electoral history is that no non-Muslim candidate has ever won the seat. This reflects the demographic composition of the constituency. In the 2021 elections, Domkal had 252,142 registered voters, of whom 213,312 (84.60 percent) were Muslims. Scheduled Caste voters numbered 6,102 (2.42 percent), and Scheduled Tribe voters numbered 681 (0.27 percent). It was a purely rural constituency with no urban voters in 2021. The electorate grew to 245,206 by the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Voter turnout has remained robust, with 82.36 percent in 2021, only slightly lower than the 83.84 percent recorded in 2016.

Domkal lies in the northeastern part of Murshidabad district, within the Bagri region. The terrain is flat and fertile, owing to the presence of rivers like the Bhagirathi and the Padma. The area is prone to seasonal flooding, especially during the monsoon, which affects both agriculture and infrastructure. The economy is primarily agrarian, with paddy, jute, and vegetables as the main crops. Domkal also has a modest silk weaving industry, a legacy of Murshidabad’s rich textile heritage.

Infrastructure in Domkal is modest but improving. State Highway 11 passes through the town, connecting it to Berhampore and other parts of the district. Bus services are available to Kolkata and nearby towns. The nearest railway station is Cossimbazar, located about 30 km away. 

Domkal is approximately 35 km from Berhampore, the district headquarters, and about 240 km from the state capital, Kolkata. Other nearby towns include Jalangi (25 km), Raninagar (20 km), and Lalgola (40 km), which also lies close to the Bangladesh border.

If the 2024 parliamentary polls are any yardstick to go by, the CPM may be down but not out in the Domkal Assembly constituency. The CPM-led Left Front would wish for the BJP to poll more than the 5.46 percent it managed in 2021, hoping the BJP dents TMC’s vote bank, enabling it to sneak through and win the seat in what promises to be a multi-cornered election in Domkal. 

(Ajay Jha)