Samserganj constituency was established ahead of the 2011 Assembly elections and has voted in three elections so far. Touab Ali of the CPI(M) won the 2011 election, defeating Mousumi Begum of the Congress party by 7,789 votes. Amirul Islam of the Trinamool Congress registered backtoback victories in the next two elections. In 2016, he defeated the sitting CPI(M) MLA Touab Ali by 1,780 votes, and his victory margin increased to 26,379 votes in 2021 as he beat the Congress party’s nominee Zaidur Islam.
The voting trends in the Samserganj Assembly segment during the Lok Sabha elections reflect the dominance of the Congress party, with the Trinamool Congress struggling to catch up. Congress led over the CPI(M) by 15,024 votes in 2009 and 5,621 votes in 2014. The Trinamool Congress replaced the CPI(M) as the main challenger, but the Congress party’s lead over Trinamool stood at 7,939 votes in 2019 and increased to 13,814 votes in 2024 after Congress joined hands with its old foe CPI(M) to form an alliance.
Samserganj has witnessed an explosion in the number of registered voters. Between 2011 and 2016, the rolls increased by 41,620 voters, and another 41,448 voters were added between 2016 and 2021. The growth, not entirely due to higher birth rates among its Muslim community but also because of its proximity to Bangladesh, continued further as 12,836 voters were added between the 2021 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The electorate stood at 248,412 in 2024, 235,576 in 2021, 216,730 in 2019, 194,128 in 2016 and 152,508 in 2011. Muslims dominate the constituency with 79.80 per cent of voters, while Scheduled Castes account for 7.62 per cent. The abnormal increase in the Muslim population has resulted in a sharp decline in the Hindus in this region.
Samserganj is predominantly urban with 73.64 per cent urban voters compared to 26.36 per cent rural. Voter turnout has remained high, though it has been gradually declining with each election. It stood at 86.34 per cent in 2011, 81.92 per cent in 2016, 81.15 per cent in 2019, 80.07 per cent in 2021 and 76.93 per cent in 2024.
Samserganj lies in the northern part of Murshidabad district, east of the Hooghly River and close to the Ganges. Dhulian town, the centre of the constituency, is located on the banks of the Ganges and has historically been a hub of river trade. The terrain is flat and fertile, supporting agriculture, though the economy is also driven by small industries, trade and crossborder activities. Dhulian is connected by road to Jangipur at 15 km, Berhampore, the district headquarters, at 60 km, and Malda at 35 km. Kolkata, the state capital, is located about 240 km away. The nearest railway station is Dhulian Ganga, which links the constituency to the Howrah-Malda line. The area is also close to the international border with Bangladesh, which lies less than 10 km away. This proximity has led to illegal migration of Bangladesh nationals into India, a factor that has influenced both the demography and politics of the constituency.
Other nearby towns include Raghunathganj at 12 km and Farakka at 20 km. Pakur in Jharkhand lies about 40 km from Samserganj. The constituency’s location near the border makes it strategically sensitive, with issues of migration and security often dominating political discourse.
The history of voting trends in Samserganj constituency shows that its voters use different yardsticks while voting in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. They prefer the Congress party in parliamentary polls and the Trinamool Congress in the Assembly elections. However, there can be no guarantee of the Trinamool Congress winning its third consecutive term, as the Congress-Left Front alliance is alive and kicking in this region. It is in a position to pose a serious challenge to the Trinamool Congress. The BJP continues to be a marginal player due to Samserganj’s skewed demography and its Muslimmajority status. Moreover, the impact of SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of the electoral roll is bound to be felt in this constituency, which might make the contest close and intriguing, in which each vote cast will matter.
(Ajay Jha)
