A scholar from Nuffield College, Oxford, columnist and an ideologue of Hindutva nationalism all blended into one, Dasgupta admits that his overtly urban persona makes him a “greater fit” in Rashbehari, a constituency that houses his residence and those of his extended family.
The former BJP Rajya Sabha member unsuccessfully contested from the rural Tarakeswar seat in the 2021 assembly elections, where he lost by a slender margin of a little over 7,000 votes to his nearest TMC rival.
“Rashbehari, for me, is a doorstep constituency. It’s a seat whose boundaries keep changing, but my entire family is based out of here. It has a diverse mix of being home to some of the richest people of Kolkata alongside some of the city’s poorest,” Dasgupta explained to PTI in an interview.
“The iconic Kali temple at Kalighat is located here. But what makes this seat crucial in terms of electoral prestige is that it borders Bhabanipur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s own segment, where she will be challenged by our leader Suvendu Adhikari this time,” he said.
A TMC stronghold since 1998, the Rashbehari seat, according to Dasgupta, is a “greatly challenging proposition” from where he is likely to meet fierce resistance from his primary opposition.”But times may have changed in terms of the BJP’s poll prospects here,” he claimed.
“We will put our best foot forward in both Bhabanipur and Rashbehari, and the synergy of the two will be to our advantage,” he said.
Dasgupta said south Kolkata may have remained a TMC fortress, but this time the BJP is determined to breach it.
“We are not making tall claims, but I believe we will be able to capitalise on the overall disgust of people and reverse the stagnation and decline of Bengal brought about by the past 15 years of TMC rule,” he said.
Dasgupta said his supporters were largely enthused this time around and that he hoped to meet the expectations of those who want to bring about a change in Bengal.
“This time, we are not merely fighting to win seats. This time, we are fighting to establish our own government. There’s a difference,” the BJP leader proclaimed.
Dasgupta compared his party’s position in the state during the 2021 polls with its current stature, stating that “the BJP has come of age” in the state.
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“In 2021, despite putting our best foot forward and bringing in our top energies to the contest, there were certain lacunae in our approach. The party was still evolving. I think we have now reached a critical point where we can take greater responsibilities and emerge as TMC’s true alternative. We are now a government in waiting,” he said.
Should he win the contest, Dasgupta said he would bring to the table “a crime-free and wholesome political environment” to Rashbehari in line with the BJP’s overall governance vision for the state.
“I would like to bring a sober, responsible and honest politics to my constituency so that people don’t have to worry about gangsters and criminals having a free run here and crude bombs getting lobbed at the slightest provocation,” he said.
Dasgupta said his background in academics allowed him to better understand the pluses of people and reach out to them with a sense of humility, acknowledging there could be different points of view than his own.
“You can run a club and exclude people from its domain. But the charm of electoral politics lies in its inclusive experience, where you bring everyone in to support you and be a part of a larger process. I can help build that as long as I am open-minded towards multiple problems and try to address them with a degree of sincerity,” he said.
On the issue of contesting in a constituency which has been represented by veteran Trinamool Congress ministers like Shovandeb Chattopadhyay and, more recently, by civic boss Debasish Kumar, who wields considerable influence in the region, Dasgupta seemed nonchalant about his rivals.
“I am sure the TMC has a wealth of experience running its show from the Rashbehari seat. I am not worried about the candidate I am pitted against. We will merge our local campaign with that of our statewide political narrative and reach out to our voters,” he said.
