The name Jorasanko comes from a pair of bamboo or wooden bridges – ‘jora’ meaning pair and ‘sanko’ meaning bridge – that once spanned a stream in the area. The neighbourhood is steeped in history and culture. It is best known as the home of Rabindranath Tagore, whose ancestral residence, Jorasanko Thakur Bari, now houses Rabindra Bharati University. The area was a hub of the Bengal Renaissance, with figures like Kaliprasanna Singha and Krishnadas Pal living and working here. Institutions such as Adi Brahmo Samaj and Oriental Seminary added to its intellectual vibrancy.
Jorasanko was once a stronghold of the Congress party, which won the seat 11 times. The All India Forward Bloc and the Janata Party managed single victories in 1952 and 1977. The political equation changed after Mamata Banerjee parted ways with the Congress and launched the Trinamool Congress in 1998. Since 2001, Trinamool has won five consecutive elections in Jorasanko. But its victories have often come with narrow margins – 778 votes in 2001, 819 in 2006, 6,290 in 2016, and 12,743 in 2021, when Vivek Gupta defeated BJP’s Meena Devi Purohit.
The Lok Sabha elections tell a different story. Trinamool Congress has consistently trailed the BJP in the Jorasanko Assembly segment in the last three parliamentary polls. The margins stood at 16,482 votes in 2014, narrowed to 3,882 in 2019, and rose again to 7,401 in 2024. Yet, Trinamool has managed to win all four parliamentary elections held since the creation of the Kolkata Uttar Lok Sabha seat in 2009.
Jorasanko had 197,950 registered voters in 2021, which declined slightly to 197,388 in 2024. Voter turnout has remained low compared to other parts of Bengal. It was 53.73 per cent in 2016, rose to 57.45 per cent in 2019, dropped to 50.08 per cent in 2021, and edged up to 53.58 per cent in 2024. The low turnout partly explains the tight margins and the unpredictable nature of contests here.
The constituency lies along Rabindra Sarani, formerly Chitpore Road, and is part of Kolkata’s busy commercial belt. It is densely built, with old mansions, narrow lanes, and a mix of residential and business establishments. The area is well-connected by road and metro. Jorasanko is conveniently located near major hubs, including Burrabazar, Chittaranjan Avenue, and College Street. The district administration for Kolkata is based in Bhowanipore, about 6 km from Jorasanko.
As the 2026 Assembly elections approach, Jorasanko is expected to witness a close and fierce contest. The Trinamool Congress, despite its five back-to-back victories, stands on slippery ground. The BJP’s growing presence, bolstered by a significant non-Bengali voter base, poses a direct challenge. If the Congress-Left Front alliance manages even a modest revival, the outcome could swing either way. In Jorasanko, nothing is predictable and everything is in play.
(Ajay Jha)
