Trinamool Congress leader Jakir Hossain is set to fight in a bypoll from West Bengal’s Jangipur assembly seat. But not so long ago he was fighting for his life. The former junior labour minister was critically injured ahead of the April-May state elections when bombs were hurled at him and his supporters while they were waiting to board a train at Nimtita railway station on February 17. He was discharged from hospital after months of care.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on August 24 filed a chargesheet in the case saying the target of the attack was Hossain and it was carried out to derail the local poll and cause large-scale damage.
More than six months have passed since the incident. On Saturday, the Election Commission announced by-elections to three assembly seats in West Bengal on September 30. While Hossain will contest for the TMC from the Jangipur seat, chief minister Mamata Banerjee who lost the April-May election from Nandigram to Bharatiya Janata Party’s Suvendu Adhikari will be the Trinamool candidate from her traditional constituency Bhabanipur. TMC’s Amirul Islam will fight for the Samserganj seat.
Hossain started campaigning in Jangipur on Saturday, the day the EC announcement came. The election for the seat had to be postponed earlier because of the death of a candidate.
“I am still not well,” he told News18. “There are problems still. But in the past five years, I have worked for the people and I am sure the people will bless me with their votes.”
Hossain is popular in the area as he is connected to the local bidi industry and has given employment to many people.
The TMC leader said the NIA has filed a chargesheet in the bomb attack case and a dozen people have been arrested but the truth is yet to come out and locals are not happy with the probe.
“The attack on me is also an issue in this election,” he said. “How did the attack take place at Nimtita railway station? I am still unable to go back to my old life…People will give answers through votes.”
TMC insiders say the party wants to bring back the old Hossain who was very active, and that is why he has been given a ticket. Jangipur is his traditional seat and the former minister believes that while he made a partial recovery on a hospital bed, fighting and winning this election will help him become 100 per cent fit.
In 2016, Jakir Hossain won the Jangipur seat by a margin of 20,000 votes with 37.23 per cent vote share. The TMC is hoping that gap will widen this time.
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