The commonalities continue as both Pradip Bhattacharya of Congress and Sudip Bandopadhyay had begun their political careers in Congress almost simultaneously. Decade junior to the duo, Tapas Roy cut his political teeth in Chhatra Parishad, the students' wing of the Congress and rose from the ranks to become a councillor in Kolkata Municipal Corporation and later a legislator.

While both Bandopadhayay and Roy switched loyalty to Trinamool Congress, a Young Turk in '70s Bhattacharya was a member of the Cabinet of Siddhartha Shankar Ray who had stayed put in the Congress with six decades of uninterrupted allegiance. Known for maintaining cordial inter-party relations, he was twice nominated to Rajya Sabha as a Congress MP .

Once a traditional Congress stronghold, Kolkata (North) has turned into a Trinamool Congress bastion over the years as the breakaway fledgling TMC wrested it post its inception. But there have been occasions when the CPI(M)'s Sudhanshu Sil and Md Salim won from Kolkata (North East) which formed a major portion of this the present Lok Sabha, taking advantage of dissensions in Trinamool Congress.

But with Trinamool legislators representing all the seven Assembly segments of this Lok Sabha such a story is unlikely to be scripted on June 1 when Kolkata(North) goes to the polls. Small wonder, the Trinamool nominee, Sudip Bandopadhyay is sitting pretty with the knowledge of substantial leads in 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021Assembly elections. His only worry is that the BJP candidate Roy defecting from TMC to BJP only a month ago, has full knowledge of the TMC’s operations in the constituency. Apart, he has still good wishers in his old party TMC.

Focussing on the micro level, the TMC nominee has reasons behind his confidence as BJP candidates won only in 3 out of 60 wards in this Lok Sabha in the 2019 polls. It is small consolation for the saffron camp that it led in 20 wards in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Left supported Congress nominee Bhattacharya is hopeful of good results if a free and fair poll occurs. But the fact remains, neither the Congress nor its partner CPI(M) have the organisational muscle any more to ensure even their "committed voters" express their support in the ballot box on the polling day.

In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Left-Congress share of votes was 10.19 per cent. While Trinamool had a 49.96 per cent share of votes, that of BJP's stood at 36.59 per cent.

Come 2021 Assembly elections, TMC vote share rose to 58.7 per cent of total votes in seven segment in all of which TMC emerged victorious while the Left Congress combined vote share slid to 8 per cent. The BJP candidates coming second in all these Assembly segments had a combined vote share of 29.6 per cent.

Yet a different story is contemplated to be penned by Roy, the BJP candidate who was the Baranagar MLA for TMC the other day. As a grassroot Congress worker, a councillor and onetime MLA of Barahanagar he knows this constituency like the palm of his hand.

Though a recent entrant in the saffron camp, Roy has his band of faithfuls both in the Trinamool and Congress camps. While counting on these onetime activists to do the "needful" on the living day, the saffron camp leaders feel that the large percentage of non-Bengali voters will support the BJP candidate. BJP has pockets of "committed voters" in Kashipur, Belgachia, Shyampukur and Maniktala. It remains to be seen whether these voters support can change his electoral fortune.

On the other hand, minority community voters of Chowringhee, Entally and Jorasanko will support Bandopadhayay. Bhattacharya, the Congress nominee with CPI(M)'s support will try to get a chunk of minority community votes but indications suggest that Narendra Modi’s latest campaign speeches in Kolkata and other constituencies in the state have helped TMC in getting block minority votes..

Though the BHP candidate Roy is a local boy who has switched his political loyalties, the voters of this Lok Sabha constituency are known to vote on traditional lines. The outsider tag of BJP identifying it with forces of Hindutva is unacceptable to the Bengali voters who are in the majority.

The BJP leadership, however, fancies chances of wresting this Lok Sabha from Trinamool Congress. Having done its homework, the saffron think tank selected Kolkata (North) to be a venue for a rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The road show by the PM was a huge success.

Incidentally, TMC chief Banerjee chose to fire broad sides at the contention of the prime minister's speech. Ignoring the BJP and Congress candidates in her campaign, she underscored that the political battle is between her and the saffron camp's principal vote catcher and other individuals are small fries in this electoral battle. (IPA Service)