Nandigram, April 9 -- Amid an intense, high-voltage electoral battle in the Nandigram Assembly Constituency-largely a bipolar fight between Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Pabitra Kar and BJP's Suvendu Adhikari-a sizeable section of voters expressed a desire to move beyond political rhetoric, religious polarisation, and identity politics. Instead, they signalled a clear demand for "real" development, including industrial growth, job creation, improved healthcare infrastructure, and better roads.
Voters feel politics has long overshadowed real needs in this "cradle of the anti-land acquisition stir". On March 14, 2007, 14 farmers were killed in police firing while protesting the erstwhile Left Front's land acquisition for a chemical hub.
It was a momentous movement that eventually contributed to Mamata Banerjee's ascent to power. Back to 2026 - a 63-year-old man from Terapekhia Bazar on the banks of the Haldi River in Nandigram Block II, speaking on condition of anonymity, said people urgently need industries-big or small-so the younger generation doesn't have to migrate to Haldia or elsewhere in search of jobs.
"Politics should be about serving people better. My son, who is a graduate, works in a factory in Haldia-youth here have to leave their villages for jobs. We witnessed bloodshed during the anti-land acquisition movement nearly two decades ago. Enough time has passed; it's time to move on to a better future," the sexagenarian said. Once a thriving trade hub where boats unloaded goods for wider distribution, including in undivided Midnapore, Terapekhia Bazar now lives in the shadow of its past, locals said.
Nearby stretches-from Uttar Boyal Primary School to Khodambari I-and areas like Bheturya continue to suffer from poor road conditions.
Sheikh Gulam Nizamuddin, a veteran TMC leader who claimed to have worked with Suvendu's father Sisir Adhikari when he was in the ruling party state said: "Suvendu did nothing in the past five years. People here want a change."
Speaking to Millennium Post, TMC's Pabitra Kar said that no "major development took place in Nandigram during Suvendu Adhikari's tenure as MLA", adding that people have long demanded a bridge over the Haldi River, a medical college, and stronger agricultural growth.
Nizamuddin, who had mentored Pabitra Kar during his Gram Panchayat election victory when Suvendu Adhikari was a Cabinet minister in the Mamata Banerjee government, said Kar needs to strengthen booth-level coordination, which is currently not up to the mark.
Voter reactions in Tangua Bazar, a few kilometres from Kar's residence, were mixed. A local shop owner in his mid-30s said Kar is no match for Suvendu, who remains the favourite in the upcoming polls. However, Swapna Jana from Boyal-I said: "We've benefited from the state government's Lakshmir Bhandar and other schemes. The direct benefit transfer programmes have significantly improved the socio-economic conditions of housewives like us. This time, the situation favours TMC."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.