The constituency was first established in 1962 and has gone to the polls 11 times since then. The inaugural election saw the All India Forward Bloc’s Bejoy Kumar Roy emerge victorious. However, Sitalkuchi did not exist as a constituency between 1967 and 1977, a period marked by political upheaval in the state. After its revival, the CPI(M) took firm control, winning seven consecutive terms, six of which were secured by Sudhir Pramanik. The Left’s dominance was broken in 2011 when the Trinamool Congress edged past CPI(M) by a slender margin of 257 votes, with Hiten Barman defeating Biswanath Pramanik. Barman consolidated his position in 2016, defeating CPI(M)’s Namadipti Adhikary by 15,483 votes. However, the BJP made inroads in 2021, with Baren Chandra Barman defeating Partha Pratim Ray of the Trinamool Congress by 17,815 votes, marking the saffron party’s first win in the constituency.
The Lok Sabha trends have mirrored this flux. In 2019, Trinamool led by just 1,230 votes in the Sitalkuchi segment. But in 2024, the party widened its lead to 16,276 votes, indicating a possible shift in voter sentiment. The CPI(M), now allied with the Congress, is expected to mount a serious challenge in 2026, potentially splitting the anti-Trinamool vote and aiding the BJP’s prospects.
Sitalkuchi had 285,260 registered voters in the 2021 Assembly elections, which rose to 304,609 in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In 2016, the figure stood at 261,348. Scheduled Castes form the bulk of the electorate, accounting for 63.59 per cent, while Muslims make up 26.10 per cent. The constituency has consistently recorded high voter turnout. It stood at 88.05 per cent in 2016, 86.35 per cent in 2021 and 84.42 per cent in 2024.
Topographically, Sitalkuchi lies in the Barind Tract, characterised by flat alluvial plains with blackish-brown sandy soil. The terrain is low-lying and marshy in parts, making it prone to seasonal flooding. The Mansai and Dharla rivers, both Himalayan streams, flow through the region and are known to cause floods during the monsoon. The area has no hills or forest cover of significance.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the local economy. The region has 22,210 hectares of cultivable land, irrigated through deep and shallow tube wells, as well as river lift irrigation. Paddy, jute and mustard are the principal crops. There is no notable industrial presence, and employment is largely agrarian, supplemented by animal husbandry and small-scale fisheries.
Sitalkuchi is located about 45 km from Cooch Behar town, the district headquarters. The state capital, Kolkata, is approximately 650 km away. Nearby towns include Mathabhanga (25 km), Dinhata (40 km), and Tufanganj (60 km). The constituency shares its western border with Bangladesh and is flanked by Mathabhanga I block to the north, Cooch Behar I to the east, Sitai to the south, and Hatibandha Upazila of Lalmonirhat district in Bangladesh to the west.
As the 2026 Assembly elections approach, Sitalkuchi is poised for a triangular contest. With the Trinamool Congress and BJP locked in a battle for supremacy and the CPI(M)-Congress alliance eyeing a comeback, the voters here hold the key to a potentially dramatic outcome. The shifting loyalties and high turnout suggest that Sitalkuchi will be one of the most closely watched constituencies in North Bengal.
(Ajay Jha)
