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West
Bengal Elections: Six-time
poll loser hopes for a lucky seven
Tuesday April 05, 2011 02:06:38 PM,
IANS
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Kolkata:
He contested his first election in 1977 and lost. Since then the
indefatigable Biplab Mitra has tried unsuccessfully five more times,
earning him the nickname "haru Mitra". But the Trinamool Congress
candidate is not giving up.
Mitra, the son of a freedom fighter, has contested four assembly
polls and two to the Lok Sabha. And he hopes that the 2011 West
Bengal assembly polls will be his lucky charm - especially when his
party has a golden chance of winning this time.
He is contesting from the Harirampur assembly constituency in
Dakshin Dinajpur district.
He first stood from the Gangarampur assembly constituency in the
same district in 1977 as an independent candidate. He did not win
but the historic elections that year scripted the 34 years of
uninterrupted rule of the Left Front in West Bengal.
Mitra went on to fight assembly elections from the same constituency
in 1991 as a Congress candidate and in 2001 and 2006 as a Trinamool
nominee but lost to the Left Front by huge margins.
"I didn't lose the elections, but was made to lose. I won't say who
did this sabotage, but I am sure that there was sabotage. But I want
to say one thing, till I win an assembly seat I won't sit in peace,"
Mitra, the assistant state secretary of the Trinamool Congress, told
IANS over phone.
With a never-say-die spirit, Mitra jumped into the Lok Sabha poll
fray in 1999 as a Trinamool candidate from Raiganj but was trounced
by Congress heavyweight Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi. Mitra again lost in
the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
"I lost the Lok Sabha polls in 2009, but I had taken a handsome lead
in the Harirampur assembly constituency. So I am confident of
winning from Harirampur (also Dakshin Dinajpur district) this time,"
said Mitra, 57.
A string of defeats has earned him a nickname -- 'haru Mitra' (loser
Mitra).
"It is not that I have only lost elections, I have also won
elections such as to the zila parishad once and Gangarampur
municipality once," said Mitra, who is an alliance candidate of the
Trinamool and the Congress. He is pitted against Left Front
heavyweight and state minister Narayan Biswas.
The state will hold polls to the 294 assembly seats during April
18-May 10.
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