Siliguri is now a test case of 'stalled' infrastructure and administrative friction :::::::: Bengal Election Mode ::: BJP's candidate in Dantan, Ajit Kumar Jana, was attacked by TMC; Allegaton denied :::

Violent clashes in Dantan: BJP candidate’s hand broken, bikes vandalised

In North Bengal's Siliguri; Traffic congestion now defines daily life, with large parts of the city slowing to a crawl from mid-morning until evening.

Lotus party leaders claim the attackers were affiliated with the TMC.

The candidate’s vehicle and multiple motorcycles were vandalised.  

Dantan in Paschim Medinipur saw a bloodbath on Tuesday when the constituency became a flashpoint of violent clashes as BJP was conducting a last-minute campaign rally, two days before the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

BJP alleged that its candidate from Dantan, Ajit Kumar Jana, a businessman-turned-politician, was attacked by Trinamool supporters during a bike rally. Jana allegedly sustained serious injuries, including a fractured hand.  

TMC denied the allegations, countering that it was a politically motivated attempt by the BJP to create unrest in the region. The party also claimed that some of its own workers were injured in retaliatory violence.  

In Siliguri, BJP-TMC blame game over gridlock and stalled projects fuels voter anger before polls  

For many local residents of Siliguri, the city once known as the “Gateway to the Northeast” has become a daily gridlock and a potent election issue as West Bengal heads towards the 2026 Assembly polls.

Long regarded as a strategic transit and trade hub for the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) sub-region, Siliguri is now emerging as a test case of stalled infrastructure, administrative friction and political blame-shifting — with mounting frustration among voters.

In 2021, TMC MLA Bikram Chandra Pradhan won by a margin of 623 votes. This made Dantan one of the closest-margin constituencies in the region.

The incident came on a charged final day of campaigning ahead of polling in 152 constituencies on April 23, involving 1,478 candidates. 

Top leaders intensified their outreach across the state, with Union home minister Amit Shah addressing rallies in North Bengal and Medinipur, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held meetings in North 24 Parganas and Kolkata.

At the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, mayor Gautam Deb of the Trinamool Congress said the state had completed its share of work, accusing central agencies of holding up progress.

“PWD has finished the work,” Deb said. “The railways took a very long time; they delayed it intentionally and didn’t complete it before the elections. Even now, they haven’t given the official handover.”

But Shankar Ghosh, the BJP MLA from Siliguri, offered a sharply different account. “The work in the PWD section, the state government’s section, took a long time,” Ghosh said. “Why this work was handled this way is not comprehensible. Both the state and the railways should present a clear picture to the people.”

The contest extends beyond the flyover.

A crucial two-kilometre stretch near Fulbari on NH-27 continues to operate as a single-lane bottleneck, restricting the movement of heavy vehicles. Deb attributed the delay to a legal dispute over land compensation. “The Highway Authority did not accept the arbitrator's rate. They went to the High Court; it took many days,” he said.

Ghosh blamed the state government. “The state government did not acquire the land,” he said. “It’s not about money. It’s about land acquisition problems.”

After liquor and bikes, the Election Commission has turned its attention to Bengal’s tourist places.

The Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal has issued a directive calling tourists and non-residents to exit the state’s popular coastal destinations in Purba Medinipur district, including Digha, 

Mandarmani, 

Tajpur, Sankharpur, and Udaipur.   

Along with the deployment of over 2.4 lakh personnel for Phase 1 of the Bengal Assembly elections on April 23, the bar on tourism in Bengal seems first of its kind to address security concerns during an election.