Trinamool nominee Mala Roy who had won in 2019 has been renominated in this inarguably the safest constituency of her party in the state. Unwilling to be complacent, she is concentrating on increasing her victory margin. If the CPI(M) left no stone unturned to defeat Banerjee, the popular face of the then Opposition in the state, the Charisma of the TMC supremo turned out to be more than a match for the organisational network of the ruling Left.

Ever since Banerjee suffered her first poll defeat at Jadavpur Lok Sabha elections in 1989 , she continued to contest from Kolkata (South) and emerge victorious. Mamata resides in Harish Chattrejee Road which is part of Kolkata South constituency. That way she is a voter in this constituency also.

People's verdict was sought from this constituency by Syama Prasad Mookherjee of Jan Sangh, CPI’s Sadhan Gupta freedom fighter Ganesh Ghosh contesting as a CPI(M) candidate, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi of Congress and Mamata Banerjee and others. But the fact remains that none other than Banerjee has been able to emerge victorious twice.

Even when the CPI(M) and its front allies carried everything before them in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Banerjee emerged victorious from this constituency . One cannot overlook the fact that Trinamool support base surged ahead of that of CPI(M) post Banerjee becoming Union railway minister after her 2009 poll triumph when she kick started the Metro Railway connection from Tollygunge to Garia.

Apart from quicker transportation facilities for many who had been "committed Left voters", the extension boosted the real estate business along the extended Metro route. Its fallout was felt by the CPI(M) leadership when it found its "vote bank" in assembly segments like Jadavpur and Tollygunge assemblies switching loyalty to TMC in 2011 election.

The trend of extending support to Trinamool nominees continues. The seven Assembly segments which make up Kolkata (South) unfailingly gave substantial lead to TMC candidates. However, with a saffron wave on in 2019, a BJP nominee, Chandra Bose made Mala Roy trail behind him in many assembly areas. It was only when the vote counting began for Bondor assembly, the port area with minority strongholds the TMC candidate surged ahead and won.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP led by more than 5000 votes in Rashbehari assembly segment. In Bhowanipore, the constituency of the chief minister, the saffron candidate had a neck to neck contest with the TMC nominee who managed to scrape through.

Roy's victory margin in 2019 elections was more than 1.5 lakh votes. But Trinamool lead of more than three lakh votes from the seven Assembly segments of this constituency in the 2021 elections have made Roy optimistic about gaining a larger victory margin.

Pitted against Roy is Debasree Choudhury who had won in 2019 as a BJP nominee from Raigunj. Daughter-in-law of former state Assembly Speaker Hashim Abdul Halim, INDIA coalition supported CPI(M) candidate Saira Shah Halim is a more familiar figure in this Lok Sabha constituency than Choudhury.

Though defeated in Ballygunge by-election by TMC nominee Babool Supriyo, the CPI(M) candidate who happens to be the niece of eminent actor Nasiruddin Shah is campaigning more enthusiastically than the BJP candidate. In the by election, she led in wards 64 and 65 and trailed just behind Supriyo in five more wards.

Kolkata(South) Lok Sabha constituency is a conglomeration of the habitation of the members of "creamy layer" of the economy to economically challenged groups in pockets of Bhowanipore, Rashbehari and Bondor. If the voters of this Lok Sabha belong to varying economic groups, so it is the constituency of majority Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs along with a sprinkling of Christians with a sprinkling of Christians.

With 41 per cent of women voters in this Lok Sabha, Roy is banking on the state government 's social security schemes like Lakshmir Bhander, Kanyasree and Rupasree. Her political opponents have no such advantages. Yet the BJP candidate is banking on a 2919-like situation together with Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's rally in the city on May 28. Narendra Modi is popular among the well off sections of South Kolkata. The BJP candidate Debashree who is not known much in the area, is banking on the PN’s appeal.

The Left nominee, Halim is aware that the political outfit to which she belongs together with Congress polled about 15 per cent of the total votes in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But she is upbeat underscoring her campaign on alleged corruption of TMC leaders and charging the ruling party of being biased in distribution of the social welfare schemes.

The CPI(M) candidate hit the headlines trying to campaign at the door steps of Mamata Banerjee 's tiled roof home at Harish Chatterjee Street and the palatial house of her nephew and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee on Harish Mukherjee Road. On being obstructed, she had asked the men in uniform whether her movements were restricted for being on forbidden territory.

TMC has a strong organizational network in the constituency. The TMC supporters have focused on the areas where the TMC did not fare well last time. For the young CPI(M) nominee, the task is tough. But she is working hard along with young volunteers. At least, it will be few steps forward if the CPI(M) nominee can occupy the second position replacing BJP in the polling on June 1. (IPA Service)