Dhupguri bypoll: Litmus test for Bengal BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections, TMC desperate to win

Dhupguri assembly constituency, which was won by BJP in 2021 state elections, fell vacant following its MLA Bishnu Pada Ray's death in July.

But since 2021 assembly elections, where BJP increased its tally but was no match to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC), the saffron camp's political graph dipped with a series of defeats in the byelections.

A win in the seat will boost the morale of Bengal BJP, which often seems divided to challenge the mighty TMC.

TMC, which had launched a mega campaign team comprising top leaders, is desperate to wrest back control in the seat paving way for Mamata Banerjee to gear up for the parliamentary elections next year.

The constituency is witnessing a triangular contest with CPI-M, backed by Congress, is throwing a challenge to TMC and BJP despite sharing the opposition alliance INDIA to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi next year.

Though Congress top brass and Left leaders shared dias with Mamata in Delhi during INDIA meeting, Left and Congress have campaigned together in Dhupguri with a sole aim to defeat both TMC and BJP in the contest.

All three parties have fielded their candidates from the Rajbanshi community, which forms the majority of the electorate.

BJP has fielded Tapasi Roy, the wife of CRPF jawan who was martyred in Jammu and Kashmir, TMC has pitted professor Nirmal Chandra Roy while CPI-M kept its bet on folk artist Iswar Chandra Roy in the seat, which was a Left citadel for a long time since Independence.