2024 Lok Sabha Elections: Tamluk, the bastion of the Adhikaris, will witness a heated battle between two first-timers from BJP and Trinamool Congress. On one hand, there is the former Kolkata High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay who had ordered CBI probe into the teachers' recruitment case that saw several TMC heavyweights, including Partha Chatterjee, former state Education Minister and a close aide of Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, behind bars. On the other hand, the TMC has fielded the 27-year-old Debangshu Bhattacharya who shot to fame after singing 'Khela Hobe' song during Mamata Banerjee's successful campaign for the 2021 Bengal Vidhan Sabha polls.

However, retaining Tamluk seems like an uphill task for the Trinamool Congress as all the players who were responsible for the wins since 2009 have deserted the party. In 2020, Medinipur's strongman Suvendu Adhikari joined BJP while his brother Dibyendu who is the sitting MP joined BJP along with another heavyweight from Barrackpore Arjun Singh recently. Abhijit, who had frequent run-ins with senior Trinamool leaders like Mamata and her nephew Abhishek over the Bengal teachers' recruitment scam case, joined BJP earlier this month after resigning from the post.

A student leader and a state spokesperson, Debangshu enjoys a strong social media presence. His 'Khela Hobe' song turned into Mamata's war cry against BJP in the 2021 Legislative Assembly elections. However, if a strong virtual presence is enough to make inroads in a constituency where the Adhikaris have held sway for long is something to watch out for.

Out of 42 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP is yet to declare the candidates for three seats, including Diamond Harbour which happens to be Abhishek Banerjee's stronghold.