Raiganj, March 27 -- The election campaign in Kaliyaganj Assembly Constituency of North Dinajpur district has intensified, with the issue of "outsider versus son of the soil" emerging as a major political debate. BJP candidate Utpal Maharaj is being labelled an 'outsider' by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders. With both sides intensifying their campaigns, the Kaliyaganj seat is witnessing a charged campaign ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
Utpal Maharaj, also known as Swami Jyotirmayananda, was earlier associated with the Bharat Sevashram Sangha but was expelled after joining active politics and contesting elections on a BJP ticket. The development has added to the controversy surrounding his candidature in the Constituency.
TMC leaders have launched a sharp attack on the BJP over this while projecting their candidate Nitai Baisya as a "son of the soil." They alleged that BJP's previous MLA Soumen Roy, who had won the seat in 2021, was also an outsider and failed to bring development to the Constituency. According to them, local residents are now inclined to support a candidate with roots in Kaliyaganj.
Nitai Baisya said that the BJP legislator remained largely absent from the Constituency over the past five years and could not ensure development. He highlighted that the TMC-led state government has undertaken various development initiatives in both urban and rural areas of Kaliyaganj. Stressing his local connections, he urged voters to support a resident candidate.
Responding to the allegations, Utpal Maharaj claimed that although he was born in Balurghat of South Dinajpur, he has been residing in Kaliyaganj since 2004. He stated that he had formally resigned from the religious order before entering politics and decided to contest elections to "purify politics." He expressed confidence that people would support him despite the controversy.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.