The constituency was a bastion of the Left parties for nearly five decades. Except for the 1967 election, which saw a lone Congress victory, the Left parties dominated Mayureswar, winning 13 of the 14 elections held between 1962 and 2011. This included four wins by the Communist Party of India and nine consecutive victories by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The Trinamool Congress broke this streak in 2016, marking the beginning of a new political chapter in the constituency.
In 2016, Abhijit Roy of the Trinamool Congress defeated CPI(M)’s Arup Bag by a margin of 38,770 votes, ending the Left Front’s long-standing dominance. The 2021 Assembly elections further underscored the CPI(M)’s decline, as the BJP emerged as the principal challenger. Roy retained the seat, but with a reduced margin of 12,075 votes, polling 100,425 votes against BJP’s Shyamapada Mondal, who secured 88,350 votes.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections mirrored this trend. The Trinamool Congress led in the Mayureswar Assembly segment by 20,752 votes over the BJP, while the CPI(M) finished a distant third. The BJP had already signalled its growing presence in the 2019 parliamentary polls, when it led over the Trinamool Congress by a narrow margin of 1,759 votes.
Mayureswar had 230,682 registered voters in the 2021 Assembly elections, which declined to 223,218 in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. This drop is unusual, as voter rolls typically expand over time. The decline is likely due to the removal of duplicate or deceased entries and large-scale migration of youth to other states in search of employment. In 2021, the constituency had approximately 32.56 per cent Scheduled Caste, 6.88 per cent Scheduled Tribe and 26.50 per cent Muslim voters. It is predominantly rural, with only 3.54 per cent of the voters living in urban areas. Voter turnout has consistently remained high, exceeding 85 per cent in recent elections.
Geographically, Mayureswar lies in the Rampurhat subdivision of Birbhum district, straddling the Nalhati Plains in the north and the Brahmani-Mayurakshi Basin in the south. The terrain is mostly flat with occasional intrusions of the Rajmahal Hills from the adjoining Santhal Parganas region of Jharkhand. Rivers such as the Mayurakshi, Brahmani and Bansloi flow through the area, supporting agriculture and playing a vital role in the region’s daily life and farming practices.
The economy is largely agrarian, with paddy, mustard and vegetables being the main crops. Sericulture and silk spinning were historically significant in the region, and remnants of this tradition still persist. Infrastructure is modest, with access to public and private bus services and a railway station within 10 km. Sainthia, located about 11 km away, serves as the nearest town for major economic activities. Other nearby towns include Rampurhat, Suri and Nalhati. The district headquarters at Suri is around 30 km from Mayureswar, while Kolkata is approximately 200 km away. The constituency lies close to the Jharkhand border, with towns like Pakur and Dumka in Jharkhand not far from its western edge.
Historically, Mayureswar finds mention in the Ain-i-Akbari as “Mudesar”, listed as a mahal in sarkar Tanda. It was once the seat of the pargana of Darin Maureswar and was known for its sericulture. The name Mayureswar is derived from the Sanskrit “Mayureśvara”, referring to a temple by the Mayurakshi River.
Given the Left Front-Congress alliance’s steady decline in Mayureswar, the 2026 Assembly elections are likely to be a direct contest between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP. The Left-Congress combine may still influence the outcome, especially if they manage to revive their base and split the TMC vote. For the BJP, any dent in the Trinamool’s vote share could open a narrow path to victory. As things stand, the Trinamool Congress holds the upper hand, but the contest is likely to draw close attention.
(Ajay Jha)
