The Bashirhat Lok Sabha seat was one of the most important seats that went up for grabs in West Bengal. The Basirhat Parliamentary constituency covers the Sandeshkhali assembly segment, which saw massive violence over protests and allegations of land-grabbing and sexual assault against TMC leaders and workers. The results for this seat are among the most awaited as the whole nation was following the developments in Sandeshkhali.
Now-suspended TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested after allegations of sexual harassment of women came to the fore. The BJP sought to make a statement in the region by fielding Rekha Patra, a purported victim of the violence, from the Basirhar Lok Sabha seat. In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself endorsed Rekha Patra and called her over the phone to motivate her.
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The TMC, on the other hand, fielded incumbent Haroa MLA Haji Nurul Islam, who was accused of instigating the 2010 Deganga riots in Bengal. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress dropped Basirhat incumbent MP Nusrat Jahan from its candidates' list after the BJP cornered the Bengal ruling party over the actor-turned-politician's "absence" from Sandeshkhali in the wake of the violence.
With BJP gathering steam over the Sadeshkhali violence, Mamata needed a veteran leader with a strong ground connection. Hence, the TMC chose the chairman of its minority cell Haji Nurul Islam. The TMC heavyweight was accused by the BJP of leading "antisocial elements" in "unleashing violence" against Hindu families in Deganga, Kartickpur, and several villages in 2010. Islam was the Basirhat MP back then. The BJP had then demanded the arrest of Haji Nurul Islam.
Cut to 2024, the Parliamentary constituency is again in focus because of violence and the erstwhile MP, who was accused by the BJP of perpetrating it, is seeking a return to the Lok Sabha from Basirhat.