Established in 1962, Bandwan has gone to the polls 16 times, and a curious pattern has emerged over the decades. Every victorious party has been given at least a second term before being voted out. The Lok Sewak Sangh won the first two elections in 1962 and 1967, followed by three consecutive wins by the Congress in 1969, 1971 and 1972. Then came the CPI(M)’s long reign, with eight successive victories from 1977 to 2011. The Trinamool Congress finally broke the Left’s hold in 2016 and retained the seat in 2021.
Rajib Lochan Saren of Trinamool defeated CPI(M)’s sitting MLA Susanta Besra by 20,307 votes in 2016. He retained the seat in 2021, defeating BJP’s Parcy Murmu by 18,831 votes, while CPI(M)’s Besra slipped to third place with just 9.22 per cent of the vote, compared to Trinamool’s 47.02 per cent and BJP’s 39.21 per cent. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections mirrored this trend, with Trinamool leading in the Bandwan segment by 27,444 votes. BJP again finished second, and CPI(M) sank further, polling only 8.45 per cent. However, in 2019, the BJP had led Trinamool in this segment by 2,970 votes, while CPI(M) remained in single digits with 9.20 per cent.
Bandwan had 297,903 registered voters in 2024, up from 284,840 in 2021 and 272,609 in 2019. In 2021, Scheduled Tribe voters accounted for 35.82 per cent of the electorate. The seat is overwhelmingly rural, with just 3.86 per cent urban voters. Voter turnout has consistently been high, peaking during Assembly elections with 85.06 per cent in 2021 and 85.16 per cent in 2016, and dipping slightly in parliamentary polls with 81.24 per cent in 2024 and 83.57 per cent in 2019.
Topographically, Bandwan lies in the undulating terrain of the Chota Nagpur Plateau, with scattered hills, forested tracts and red lateritic soil. The region is crisscrossed by rivers like the Kangsabati and Shilabati, which support seasonal agriculture. The economy is primarily agrarian, with paddy, maize and pulses as the main crops. Forest produce, livestock rearing and small-scale stone quarrying also contribute to livelihoods. The area is rich in sal and mahua trees, and tribal communities rely heavily on forest resources.
Infrastructure remains modest. Roads connecting Bandwan to Barabazar, Manbazar and Balarampur are functional but patchy, especially during monsoons. Electricity coverage is widespread, though power cuts are frequent. Water supply is largely dependent on tubewells and hand pumps, with piped water available in select areas. Healthcare is served by rural health centres and block-level hospitals, but serious cases are referred to Purulia town. Educational institutions include Bandwan College and several high schools, though dropout rates remain high among tribal students.
Bandwan is located about 59 km south of Purulia, the district headquarters, and 28 km from Barabazar. Manbazar lies 35 km east, while Balarampur is 42 km west. Jamshedpur in Jharkhand is 65 km away, and Ghatshila is 58 km away. Bankura town lies 82 km to the northeast, and Rairangpur in Odisha is about 95 km southwest. Kolkata, the state capital, is approximately 270 km southeast.
Historically, Bandwan and its surrounding areas have been part of the ancient Mallabhum kingdom, known for its terracotta temples and tribal heritage. The region has long been a cultural crossroads between Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha, and retains a strong indigenous identity rooted in Santali and Bhumij traditions.
Statistically, Trinamool Congress can fancy its prospect of making a hat-trick of victories in Bandwan constituency in the 2026 Assembly elections. However, much has changed since 2021 that might gravitate the Scheduled Tribe voters towards the BJP, or this is what the saffron party might think of. In 2022, it made Droupadi Murmu the first President of India belonging to the Scheduled Tribe community and named tribal leaders as chief ministers of Chhattisgarh and Odisha in 2023 and 2024, respectively. If the BJP cadre manages to convince the tribal voters of Bandwan that the BJP is there to champion their cause, Trinamool Congress might find itself in hot water, in which any degree of revival of the Left Front Congress alliance might only complicate Trinamool’s victory prospects.
(Ajay Jha)
