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VII the Decline of the Left in a Calcutta Suburb: Behala Constituency (Contributed)

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VII the Decline of the Left in a Calcutta Suburb: Behala Constituency (Contributed) THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY September 1, 1962 Studies in Voting Behaviour VII The Decline of the Left in a Calcutta Suburb: Behala Constituency (Contributed) In the 1962 general election the Behala Assembly constituency returned the Communist candidate* Rabindra Nath Mukkerjee, for the second time in succession, but with a smaller proportion of the total vote. The Communist defeated his two rivals, a Congressman and an independent, but secured only 55 per cent of the votes polled against nearly 65 per cent in 1957 and a combined leftist vote of about 62 per cent in 1952. The factors which contributed towards the decline in the percentage of votes polled by the Commun­ ist candidate were : First, the appreciation, though limited, by the middle class voters of the achievements of the Congress Government in the two five year Plans. Second, the dormant anti-Communist feeling on the Sino-lndian border issue. Third, the Communists' failure to make oat any popular political issue against the ruling party. Their slogan of an alternative government actually created some resentment in the minds of the rnore sophisti­ cated section of the electorate. THE Behala Assembly constituency cent increase in population, it also Shortly after the 1952 elections, is comprised entirely of the reflected, among other things, the Communist Party formed & local South Suburban Municipality. United Peoples' Association (UPA) (1) the greater eagerness of the Situated on the south-western bor­ to contest the Municipal elections in electorate to register as voters; der of the Calcutta Corporation, 1954. The UPA won 5 out of 23 seats, the 13.92 sq mile area has a popula­ (2) the efforts by the CPI mainly while Independents supported by the tion of approximately 200,000 of and, to a lesser extent, by the Con­ sitting MLA, Biren Roy, won 3 which a little over 50 per cent are gress to enlist as voters their sup­ seats. The Congress Party formed new settlers including a large per­ porters; and the Board with Sailendra Nath Roy, centage of refugees from East a cousin of Biren Roy, as Chair­ Pakistan. Over 70 per cent of the (3) greater efficiency in the pre­ man. Sailendra Nath Roy later population consists of middle-class paration of the voters' list In ad­ contested the 1957 elections for the families composed of white collar dition to extensive publicity urging Assembly seat as the Congress workers. A little over 10 per cent people to register themselves as nominee. are industrial workers of whom voters, the Election authorities, in about half are employed by the 50 collaboration with the local authori­ Communist Win In 1957 rice mills in the area and by small ties, did their best to prepare com­ In the 1957 elections the Com­ engineering factories. The rest of prehensive voters' lists. munist Party set up its trade union the population consists of artisans, worker, Rabin Mukherjee, for the In Earlier Elections agriculturists. shop-owners and Assembly seat and supported Inde­ small businessmen. Agitation by In the first general election, the pendent Biren Roy for the Parlia­ the rice mill workers, the majority constituency comprised three rural ment seat (Calcutta South-West), of whom are women, against inse­ unions besides the Municipal area. which includes the Behala Assem­ curity of service and very low The sent was then won by an Inde­ bly constituency. Shri Roy, it was wagies organised jointly by the pendent against the Congress and a reported, had earlier tried for the Communists and a militant splinter weaker leftist front composed of Congress nomination and failed. left party, the Socialist Unity Cen­ CPI, Forward Bloc (Marxist), RSP With Biren Roy's support, and ter, has been a constant feature of and other splinter left groups. The helped by the pro-Communist swing politics in the .area. winning Independent candidate, in greater Calcutta area during the A little over 5 per cent of the Biren Roy, who comes from a 1957 elections, the Communist population are Muslims who solidly wealthy local family of landlords Assembly candidate had a com- support the Congress party largely which controlled the local Munici­ fortable victory and for the first out of a feeling of insecurity as a pality since its inception in the time the Calcutta South West Lok result of the increased influx of re­ mid-19th century, had been Chair­ Sabha seat was lost by the fugees. Another 5 per cent are man of the Municipality from Congress. non-Bengalis, mostly Biharis, with 1936-48. He was also an MLC and The 1957 electoral victory raised strong pro-Congress sympathies. for some time a Parliamentary Biren Roy's political status in the Secretary in pre-Independence days. Between 1957 and 1962 the electo­ constituency and his standing with In the 1952 election he was elected rate increased from 54,000 to 94,000 the CPI but it caused some mis­ as a nominee of the PSP-Forward (see Table). Although this was givings among a section of Roy's Bloc (Subhasist) front. primarily due to an almost 100 per supporters who were opposed to 1413 September 1, 1962 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY September 1, 1962 electing a Communist. This was At this stage, an offer was re­ was Dr Ramesh Chandra Majum- soon reflected in the election of the portedly made through some Mini- dar, the eminent Indian historian. Managing Committee of a local star to nominate Biren Roy as the High Benool when Rabin Mukher­ Congress candidate from the Campaign : Late Beginning jee was defeated by Biren Roy's Behala Assembly constituency in The campaign, unlike in the 1957 supporters. the third general election. The elections or even in the Municipal State Congress Election Committee elections of 1961, did not pick up Biren Roy's election was, tow- however, turned down the sugges­ until about three weeks before the ever, declared void by the Election tion. With little hope of winning polling which took place on Febru­ Commission in 1959. In the by- the seat, Congress selected Biren- ary 25. The Congress nomination, election, the Communist trade union dra Nath Ghatak, who did not be­ which was first to be announced in leader, Indrajit Gupta, won the seat long to either of the local Congress September 1961, did not arouse much with the full support of Biren Roy. factions, as its candidate for the enthusiasm among the local Con­ This was at the height of the Sino- Behala Assembly seat. Another gressmen and some of them tried Indian border tension and the win move, made simultaneously, to to solicit prominent personalities to further raised Biren Roy's standing form a Congress Municipal Board contest the seat as Independent with the State CPI leadership and with Ramen Roy as the Congress candidates to defeat the Communist he was elected to the Rajya Sabha Chairman also failed. It may be candidate. However, the Congress by the CPI from West Bengal in pointed out, in this context, that candidate, almost unassisted by his 1960. both Biren and Ramen Roy have party began his house-to-house Municipal Politics always been denied positions by the campaign early in September and official Congress party because of opened a Central Election office in In early 1061, the CPI-led UPA a family feud with Sailen Roy, November. He organized an exten­ contested the Municipal elections, who gained control of the local sive poster campaign in late Decem­ this time strengthened by the alli­ Congress organization shortly after ber calling upon the electorate to ance with Biren Roy. The Munici- the 1959 Municipal election. ask the CPI candidate, the sitting pal elections, due in 1958, were ML A, as to what he had done for twice postponed at the intervention The Candidates the locality during the five years of of the High Court for wrong pre­ The Congress candidate, Ghatak, his membership of the Assembly. paration of the voters' list. Held is the son of a political sufferer with limited franchise (only those from East Pakistan, and lives in The official Congress election paying tax or license fee or a mem­ one of the many refugee rehabili­ machinery was set up only in mid- ber of a taxpayer's family having a tation colonies in the area. His January following State Congress minimum educational qualification father, a former member of the boss Atulya Ghosh's intervention. are entitled to vote) even the final KMPP formed by Dr P C Ghosh A poorly organized central election after his resignation from the Chief list allegedly contained many rally was addressed, among others, Ministership of West Bengal, con­ spurious voters. The Congress by Mrs Sucheta Kripalani, Minister tested the Assembly seat in the first (though it did not officially put up in the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet. A general elections but forfeited his candidates), won 12 out of 23 seats leaflet introducing the Congress security money. To contest the Of the rest, 10 went to the UPA candidate, which high-lighted the 1962 election, Birendra Nath Ghatak (including 6 Communists) and one sufferings of the family for the had to resign his Government job to a Congress-supported Indepen­ in order to qualify as a candidate. cause of the national freedom mo­ dent. Pespite the pro-Congress He was, however, reportedly assur- vement, was about the only special political swing, there was a sharp ed that if he lost, he would be propaganda leaflet published locally conflict within the local Congress compensated with a similar job besides the All-India and State Party, This, plus the factionalism" after the elections. Young Ghatak Congress brochures on the Congress within the District Congress leader­ is an M A and a good speaker but Government's achievements.
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