Kalita Majhi, who represents the Ausgram Assembly constituency in Purba Bardhaman district, emerged as one of the surprise winners in the recent Assembly elections, defeating her nearest Trinamool Congress rival by 12,535 votes.
For Majhi, the ministerial berth is the latest milestone in a journey that began in Majhpukur Para in Guskara, where she balanced household work with political activities for years.
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“I never imagined that my life would change in this manner. I am grateful to my party for having faith in me and giving me opportunities at every stage,” Kalita told PTI shortly after taking oath at the Lok Bhavan here.
A resident of Guskara municipality, Majhi lives with her husband, a plumber, and their son. Before entering electoral politics, she worked in households in the area to support her family.
She has been associated with active politics for over a decade and first came into prominence when the BJP fielded her from the Scheduled Caste (SC)-reserved Ausgram seat in the 2021 Assembly polls.Though Majhi finished second in that election, BJP retained faith in her and re-nominated her this year.
The decision paid off as Majhi secured more than one lakh votes and wrested the constituency from the TMC.
Recalling her campaign, she said support from locals and the families for whom she had worked played a crucial role in her victory.
“The people of my constituency stood beside me throughout the campaign. The families where I worked for years were extremely happy and encouraged me. Their blessings have always been with me,” she said.
Majhi said her experience of working in people’s homes had given her first-hand knowledge of the problems faced by poor and marginalised families.
“I have seen the struggles of common people very closely. My priority will be to ensure better roads, drinking water facilities and improved healthcare services. Development must reach every household, especially those who have remained neglected for years,” she said.
She also stressed the need for employment generation and welfare measures for young people and women.
“I want to focus on opportunities for the youth and ensure that women feel safe and secure. These are issues that people repeatedly raised during the campaign,” the minister said.
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Talking about her plans as a minister, Majhi said, “As an MLA, my focus was on the development of my region. But now, my responsibility has grown significantly; I have to look after the entire West Bengal. I will follow the instructions of my party.”
Further promising that she would remain the same even five years from now, Majhi said, “I will not change. I know what life is. I will work toward effectively implementing welfare programmes for economically weaker sections. I know their pulse since I am one of them and will remain so till my last breath.”
