Kolkata Port Assembly Election 2024

On the Delimitation Commission’s recommendation, the seat was renamed Kolkata Port with effect from the 2011 Assembly poll and was reorganised to include 13 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, with Ward No. 14 being partly in this constituency. Since 2011, the Trinamool Congress has dominated here, with Firhad Hakim as its candidate. Hakim has been a cabinet minister throughout Mamata Banerjee’s rule. He has also been serving as the Kolkata Mayor since 2018.

Hakim first won the seat in 2011, defeating All India Forward Bloc’s Moinuddin Shams by 25,033 votes. That year, Congress leader Ram Pyare Ram contested as an independent after disagreeing with his party’s decision to let the Trinamool Congress, its senior ally in the 2011 poll alliance, field the official candidate for this seat. Hakim retained the seat in 2016, increasing his margin to 26,548 votes against Rakesh Singh of Congress. In 2021, his margin surged to a huge 68,554 votes over the BJP’s Awadh Kishore Gupta. The Congress party, now contesting in alliance with the Left Front, saw its lowest-ever share with only 3.67 per cent of the votes.

The Trinamool Congress’s dominance has been clear in the parliamentary polls as well, with the party leading the Kolkata Port segment since 2009. In the 2009 Lok Sabha election, Mamata Banerjee’s lead over the CPI(M) stood at 32,715 votes. It declined to 6,874 in 2014 as the BJP overtook the CPI(M) as the main challenger. The Trinamool recovered in 2019 with a 36,239 vote lead, which increased further to 42,893 in 2024. The BJP has held on to second place in recent cycles, while the Congress and the CPI(M) continued to lose ground despite contesting as allies since 2021. They polled just 3.67 per cent of the votes in 2021, which increased to 14.34 per cent in 2024.

In 2024, the Kolkata Port constituency had 238,851 registered voters, up from 235,933 in 2021 and 230,090 in 2019. Muslim voters, accounting for 51.80 per cent, are the largest community, while Scheduled Castes comprise 4.80 per cent. The area became Muslim-majority over decades as migrants, port and dock workers, and their families settled in neighbourhoods like Garden Reach, Metiabruz and Khidirpur, drawn by labour opportunities and the growth of port activity. The port’s link to shipping and railways made it a receiving ground for migrants from different districts and Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and neighbouring Bangladesh, many of whom were illegal Muslim migrants. Over time, this demographic shift contributed to the community’s size and influence in the area.

Kolkata Port is a densely urbanised seat, drawing no voters from rural areas. Voter turnout is characterised by sustained urban apathy, staying in the mid-60 per cent range across recent Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. It was 63.97 per cent in 2024, within a narrow band from 63.43 to 65.92 per cent since 2011.

The constituency includes some of Kolkata’s key port-side neighbourhoods, such as Garden Reach, Metiabruz, Kidderpore and parts of Khidirpur. Much of the area is close to the Hooghly River, with the port, shipyards, dock roads and associated warehouses forming the central feature. Metiabruz is widely known for its large garment markets, while Garden Reach is a hub for shipping and industrial activity. Khidirpur boasts a century-old market and colonial-era architecture. The region has grown rapidly due to port expansion. However, urban pressures persist, including congestion, inadequate drainage, narrow lanes, and periodic flooding. Infrastructure varies, with new flyovers and improved city road links running alongside older, crowded urban lanes.

Kolkata Port constituency is about 9 km from Esplanade, the heart of the city. The Howrah and Sealdah railway stations are within 10–14 km, while the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is roughly 25 km away. Park Street, a major cultural and commercial hub, lies about 8 km from the constituency. Alipore, the district headquarters of South 24 Parganas, is only 5 km away. In bordering districts, places like Behala (South 24 Parganas) and Dum Dum (North 24 Parganas) are about 11 km and 16 km away, respectively.

Given its record of landslide wins and sustained voter support, the Trinamool Congress remains the firm favourite to retain the Kolkata Port seat in 2026. The BJP’s best hope lies in the revival and consolidation of the Congress-Left Front alliance to chip away at Trinamool’s Muslim support, while also trying to rally Hindu voters by pointing to Hakim’s controversial statements and civic issues, such as the 2025 flooding and electrocution incidents in Kolkata. Unless all these factors combine to shift the mood strongly, the Trinamool Congress is well-poised to hold on to Kolkata Port with another convincing victory.

(Ajay Jha)