Late on Sunday (24th March), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released the names of 111 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. In a major poll battle, the party has fielded Amrita Roy, Rajmata of Krishna Nagar Raj bari (Bengali term for Royal Palace) from the Krishna Nagar Lok Sabha constituency. She will be contesting against TMC’s candidate Mahua Moitra.
Last year in December, Moitra was expelled from Lok Sabha on the recommendations of the Ethics Committee on charges of corruption and bribery in the cash-for-query scam case.
VIDEO | Lok Sabha Polls 2024: BJP leader Amrita Rao celebrates with party workers after the announcement of her candidature from West Bengal’s Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency in the party’s fifth list of candidates for the upcoming elections.#LSPolls2024WithPTI… pic.twitter.com/wfGG0QRwyF
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 24, 2024
Rajmata Amrita Roy joined the party on 20th March in the presence of Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.
After joining BJP, Amrita Roy said, ‘When I was asked to join BJP, the first thing that came to my mind was to bring about a change in the current situation in Bengal which is much needed. From education to health, from Sandeshkhali to Garden Reach, there is illegality and corruption everywhere. This has become a normal phenomenon in the state, which is not appropriate.”
Regarding her entry, Suvendu Adhikari said, “I am confident that Amrita Roy’s joining BJP will help in regaining the lost glory of Krishnanagar.”
Who is Rajmata Amrita Roy?
Amrita Roy hails from the Nadia Royal family based in Krishna Nagar. She is the wife of Soumish Chandra Roy, the 39th scion of the Nadia Royal family of Maharaja Rudra Chandra Roy and Krishnachandra Roy. Soumish is a retired employee of an airline company. Her son Manish practices in Calcutta High Court.
Rajmata Amrita Roy did her primary education at La Martiniere School and completed higher education at Loreto College. She is a fashion consultant by profession.
According to her, none of the three members of her family had any previous connection with politics. She said, “But, my family has supported me in my decision to enter politics.”
Raja Krishnachandra was born in 1710 and lived till 1783. During his lifetime he was the king and landlord of Nadia from 1728 to 1782. He belonged to the Nadia Raj family and Shakta Hindu tradition. The Royal family had been renowned for opposing and fighting against the oppressions of the Mughal rule.
He had transformed the Nadia royal family’s Durga Puja into a ‘public’ celebration since its inception in 1683, and because of this, the family enjoys a special prestige in Bengal even today.
A prominent figure in Indian history, particularly in Bengal, Krishna Chandra was renowned for his visionary governance during the 18th century. He inherited the throne at the age of 18 and ruled for 55 years. His legacy of administrative reforms, promotion of the arts, and Bengali culture is still cherished in the state.
Rajmata’s inclusion to boost BJP’s poll prospect in the area
Poll experts predict that Rajmata Amrita Roy’s candidature will boost the BJP, and will also help the party in its poll fight against Trinamool Congress’s Mahua Moitra.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Mahua Moitra won the Krishnanagar constituency against BJP’s Kalyan Chaubey by 63,218 votes. While she secured 6,14,872 votes, BJP’s pick Chaubey got 5,51,654 votes amid allegations of fear and intimidation by the incumbent state government led by Mamata Banerjee.
As per reports, three assembly constituencies namely Chopra, Palashipara, and Kaliganj assemblies had a huge turnout in favour of Mahua Moitra, resulting in her victory in the 2019 polls.
However, in the last five years, the BJP has strengthened its organisational structure in Kaliganj Assembly. Additionally, experts suggest that allegations of rampant corruption, misgovernance, and infighting in the ruling party have weakened Trinamool Congress’s organisational strengths have weakened in the past few months in the region.
Moreover, by nominating ‘Ranima’ Amrita Roy, a well-known and influential figure within the local community, the party can effectively expand its lead in the voting margin and attract support in Krishnanagar.
