The constituency’s composition underscores its urban character, as it comprises the Kanchrapara and Halisahar municipalities. Established in 1951, Bijpur has participated in all 17 Assembly elections held in West Bengal since Independence.
Historically, the Left dominated Bijpur, winning 11 times, while the Congress and Trinamool Congress have each secured three victories. The CPI(M), spearheading the Left Front, claimed the seat on nine occasions, while the undivided CPI won it twice. Jagdish Chandra Das remains the most prominent MLA from Bijpur, winning nine times overall, including eight consecutive terms from 1967 to 1991. Das’s political journey saw him initially winning for the CPI(M) in 1967 and 1969, then switching to the Congress for the 1971 and 1972 elections, before returning to the CPI(M) to record four straight wins from 1977 to 1991. After skipping the 1996 polls, he returned to win once more in 2001.
The Congress victories occurred in the earlier decades, while the emergence of the Trinamool Congress marked the end of CPI(M)’s long dominance. Since 2011, the Trinamool has won the seat thrice consecutively. Subhranshu Roy claimed victories in 2011 and 2016, defeating CPI(M)’s Nirjharini Chakraborty and Rabindra Nath Mukherjee by margins of 12,612 and 47,954 votes, respectively. Roy’s 2017 switch to the BJP led to his suspension from Trinamool Congress. Contesting on a BJP ticket in 2021, he lost to Trinamool’s Subodh Adhikary by 13,247 votes. His move, however, enabled the BJP to surpass the CPI(M), which finished a distant third and has since struggled to regain relevance in Bijpur.
The CPI(M)’s decline is also evident in the Lok Sabha elections from this segment. Since 2019, the BJP has emerged as the principal challenger to the Trinamool Congress. In 2019, the BJP led by 7,896 votes from Bijpur, only for the Trinamool to regain the lead by 9,671 votes in 2024. Contesting in alliance with the Congress in both 2021 and 2024 did little to revive CPI(M)’s fortunes, as it polled just 10.42 per cent in 2021, dropping further to 9.95 per cent in 2024.
Bijpur had 192,316 registered voters in 2021, up from 185,133 in 2019 and 179,608 in 2016. Scheduled Castes account for about 20.49 per cent of the electorate, while Muslims form roughly six per cent. The constituency is entirely urban, with no rural voters. Voter turnout has steadily risen over the last decade, from 69.51 per cent in 2016 to 71.09 per cent in 2019, and up to 72.33 per cent in 2021.
Situated in the lower Ganges Delta, Bijpur has flat terrain, with the Hooghly River flowing close by. This proximity has historically influenced the region’s trade and transport development. Densely populated and wholly urbanised, Bijpur benefits from its location near Kolkata and the industrial belt of Barrackpore. Its economy rests on small manufacturing units, service establishments, and a substantial commuter population employed in Kolkata and nearby urban centres. The Kanchrapara Railway Workshop, one of India’s oldest, is a key industrial landmark here.
Infrastructure is strong, with suburban rail and road networks linking Bijpur to Sealdah and the wider Kolkata Metropolitan Region through Kanchrapara and Halisahar stations. Nearby towns include Barrackpore (15 km), Naihati (10 km south), and Barasat (district headquarters, 30 km). Kolkata lies roughly 45 km away. Across the border in Nadia district, Kalyani is about 20 km distant, while Bongaon near the Bangladesh frontier is about 60 km east. The Bangladeshi town of Benapole is roughly 70 km away, accessible via the Petrapole crossing.
A closely contested battle between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP is expected in Bijpur in the 2026 Assembly elections, with both parties evenly placed. Local narratives that dictate voter sentiment, along with the potential revival of the Left Front-Congress alliance, could influence the outcome. Given the small proportion of Muslim voters in Bijpur, the alliance’s revival may not necessarily disadvantage the Trinamool Congress, but it could still tilt the scales either way.
(Ajay Jha)
