What's this Bengali doing in Uttarakhand poll pitch?

DEHRADUN: Why is Malti Biswas, 56, Bengali by birth, contesting elections in Uttarakhand, you may ask. She's the Congress candidate from Sitarganj and taking on former CM Vijay Bahuguna's son, Saurabh, who's contesting on a BJP ticket.

Malti's candidature could actually be a smart move, given that the state has over 1 lakh Bengali voters, mostly in parts of Udham Singh Nagar district of Kumaon, at Sitarganj, Gadarpur, Rudrapur, Kichha and Khatima.

Some Bengalis had migrated to Udham Singh Nagar, the state's industrial and agricultural belt, in the early 1970s after the formation of Bangladesh. Over the years, they flourished with at least one Bengali candidate fielded by a prominent political party each assembly election. Malti is a former zila panchayat member from Sitarganj, an area that has nearly 32,000 Bengali voters. Former SITA CM Bahuguna had won the seat on a Congress ticket in a 2012 bypoll, helped in no small measure by the Bengali vote-bank.

This time, Congress is counting on Biswas, who's canvassing hard with the Bengali community . “I am a daughter of the area and have lived here all my life. Not only my community, but all others here have seen my work,“ she says while touring the constituency of 1.07 lakh voters.

Her rival, Saurabh, knowing the importance of the Bengali vote has been visiting areas such as Shakti farm, where a large chunk of the Bengali population lives.

But he brushes aside the view that simply having the community's vote would ensure a win. “People vote on development. There are more than 80,000 votes outside Shakti farm. I've worked for five years in this constituency and earned the love of all.“

Premanand Mahajan, a senior Bengali member who won from Gadarpur twice in 2002 and 2007 on a BSP ticket -says it is not wise to discount the community's influence. “In the nine assembly constituencies in Udham Singh Nagar, the Bengalis play a crucial role at Gadarpur, Sitarganj, Gadarpur, Rudrapur, Kichha and Khatima.

“In Sitarganj for instance, where a large part of the community is employed as daily wagers, the candidate who is able to empathise with their problems of providing regular housing and better wages will win their favour,“ he says.