Incidentally, both TMC nominee Sayoni Ghosh and CPI(M) candidate Srijan Bhattacharya are no new comers in electoral politics. While Ghosh lost at Asansol, Bhattacharya tasted defeat at Singur in 2021 assembly elections. Both of them are in early thirties and represent the young faces of the two combinations.

If one refreshes collective memory, the debutants from Jadavpur seem to be blessed with the beginner's luck. Contesting her first election as a Congress candidate Mamata Banerjee was a slip of a girl when she took on formidable CPI(M) nominee Somnath Chatterjee and defeated him in 1984 Lok Sabha polls.

Trinamool candidates Krishna Bose, Kabir Suman and Dr.Sugato Bose tasted victory from Jadavpur on their first appearance. And if Banerjee was riding the crest of a sympathy wave in the wake of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination, subsequent reverses of the powerful CPI(M) were owing to a changing demography and aspiration level.

Mushrooming of places of worship along Raja Subodh Chandra Mullick Road, the principal traffic artery of Jadavpur is an indication of the changing mindset of the local populace, a vast majority of whom once were followers of the Left. The result of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections at this constituency in which BJP nominee Anupam Hazra was ahead of CPI(M) candidate Bikas Bhattacharya is another pointer to the political inclination of Jadavpur voters five years ago.CPI(M) candidate was third behind the BJP. The victor was another film actress Mimi Chakraborty who is not contesting in the 2024 polls.

Once dotted with refugee colonies which have shed their shabby looks to turn themselves into condominiums and smart housing complexes, Jadavpur's demography and political character have undergone a sea change. No longer it is an impregnable red citadel; since the victory of TMC nominee Krishna Bose, and her son Sugato Bose, preceded by that of Kabir Suman, this Lok Sabha constituency has become happy hunting ground for TMC candidates.

Inarguably, it was the defeat of the then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in 2011 Assembly elections at Jadavpur assembly constituency which shattered the myth of invincibility about it. Bhattacharjee was defeated by none other than former state chief secretary, Manish Gupta contesting as a Trinamool candidate.

But such is the irony of the situation that TMC candidate actress Mimi Chakraborty who defeated such veteran as CPI(M)'s Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya by a huge margin in 2019 elections is no where in the scene. She has not even been asked to participate in the campaign for TMC contestant Sayoni Ghosh, another actress with a lesser fan following than her.

But the fact remains that after having shouldered the responsibility of her party's youth wing, Sayoni is far more experienced in politics than Mimi. Srijan, a whole time activist of the CPI(M) is counting on the remnants of his party organisation to see him through the electoral battle.

Chairman, Syama Prasad Mookherjee Research Foundation, Anirban Gangopadhyay is the BJP nominee taking on the duo. A strong critic of "urban Naxalites" at Jadavpur University, this member of the national council of his party is dropping in at local soirees to pay respect to Rabindranath Tagore at Tollygunge and Baruipur as well as at Matuas' meet.

With its high level academic activities, Left and radical Left student unions and the academic excellence of many students, Jadavpur University is a nerve centre of this constituency. The candidates having a connect with it are at an advantage.

Unlike Gangopadhyay, both Sayoni and Srijan are connected to this university. While Sayoni left her graduation course in comparative literature to devote more time to her film career, Srijan a post graduate in history was a leader of the students' wing of his party. It gives them a leg up against the BJP nominee. Sayoni is also drawing attention for her extensive work in politics without caring for her career in films. She is telling in te campaign that unlike her predecessor Mimi, she will be a full time political worker after victory and give whole time attention on the constituency.

Underscoring his membership of his party's "Young Brigade", CPI(M) candidate, Srijan Bhattacharya admitted many an erstwhile Left voters have switched loyalty to BJP and Trinamool. Focussing his campaign to retrieve them, he felt the anti-people acts of the BJP-led Union government and involvement of some of the Trinamool leaders in scams like cash for teaching jobs will regain the support of the onetime Left voters.

The sole non-BJP legislator in Opposition benches in the state Assembly, Naushad Siddiqui represents Bhangar Assembly segment, a part of this Lok Sabha. Though the only assembly constituency out of seven in Jadavpur Lok Sabha where there is no TMC MLA, the support of the Bhangar voters made up mostly of minority community is crucial. The ISF has put up its own candidate which may cut into the votes of the Left candidate. ISF supporters are generally taken as anti-TMC.

Former TMC MLA, Arabul Islam whose "support" or lack of it has made or marred the political fortune of many a candidate is in judicial custody awaiting bail on a murder charge. Brushing aside Islam's absence at a rally in Sayoni's support, TMC's unofficial number two Abhishek Banerjee called upon the crowd to give a larger lead to her than Mimi Chakraborty got in 2019 elections. He also accused the ISF MLA of being part of BJP's B team. It is a charge strongly denied by Siddiqui who asked Banerjee not to play the religion card.

While there is no sign of the slanging match ending in the next few days, a non- governmental organisation has felicitated Srijan Bhattacharya, the CPI (M) nominee for Jadavpur for not using any indecorous language during his ongoing campaign. Indeed it is a badge of honour for the INDIA coalition supported CPI (M) candidate in a poll campaign marked by personal attacks and invectives cutting across the party lines. (IPA Service)